14 May 2021

Taiwan awards F-16 missile maintenance contract

by Alessandra Giovanzanti

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) signed a TWD291 million (USD10.4 million) contract with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) for follow-on support and maintenance of US-made missiles used on the Republic of China Air Force’s (RoCAF’s) fleet of F-16 multirole fighter aircraft.

Work will be performed by US military personnel in Chiayi City and Hualien County, where the F-16s are based, and is expected to be completed by 31 December 2025, according to a notice posted on 12 May on the Taiwanese government’s procurement website.

The RoCAF’s F-16s can currently be armed with AGM-88 High-speed Anti-radiation Missiles (HARM), AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, AGM-65 Maverick missiles, AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), and AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles.

Two RoCAF F-16 fighters taking off from Hualien airbase in January 2013. The MND in Taipei signed a TWD291 million (USD10.4 million) contract with the AIT for follow-on support and maintenance of US-made missiles deployed with the island’s F-16s. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

The announcement was made on the same day that Taiwanese daily Liberty Times revealed that two RoCAF F-16s successfully fired AMRAAMs during tests over the island for the first time, hitting the intended target drones.

Previously, the United States had discouraged the firing of medium-range missiles over Taiwan for fear of provoking China and compromising the missile’s technical specifications by exposing it to potential Chinese electronic intelligence (ELINT) operations.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) signed a TWD291 million (USD10.4 million) contract with ...

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