Staff writer, with CNAAn agreement signed yesterday by a state-run aircraft builder and a US defense contractor to turn Taiwan into a maintenance hub for F-16 jets would be a good deal for both parties, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said. Taiwan could serve as an F-16 repair hub for the Asia-Pacific region because the nation’s air force has a fleet of 142 F-16A/B jets, AIDC said. The company is focused on upgrading F-16/ABs into F-16Vs, AIDC president Ma Wan-june (馬萬鈞) said, without giving a timetable for when an F-16 maintenance center might be realized. Lockheed Martin Global Pursuits vice president Randy Howard also attended the ceremony, which was held at AIDC’s headquarters in Taichung’s Shalu District (沙鹿). AIDC built the first indigenous fighter jet — the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter — which has been employed in the nation’s air force since 1992.

Source: Taipei Times December 17, 2019 15:56 UTC