TFE-1042 cannot be upgraded to F414 level thrust. And two TFE-1042s cannot match the performance delivered by single F404 as demonstrated by selection of F-404 over TFE-1042 in F-20 and Gripen design.

F-20 predates TFE-1042. TFE-1042 was the creation of both Republican lobbyist and industrial comples, who wanted to find funding. ROC was denied F404 and F-20, then pushed by Reagan government to accept the more risky approach, which proved to be the better solution in the long run.

 

Although ROCAF still operates -70 series that has only 9250lb thrust with afterburner, for economic reason. There were a lot talk about reviving the 1088 project which provides additional 30% thrust.

 

Two 1042 provides thrust up to 18400lb, whlie single F404 of late 1980s model provides less thrust. The follow-up programs to increased maximum thrust of F404 by 10-20% (forgot about the number). That didn't happen to F124 series due to lack of further funding constraint.

 

It is true that F404 is better military engine. However, there was political reasons which limited ROCAF with TFE-1042. US military and aircraft industry made that decision, not AIDC.

 

The whole T-50  thing is about replacement to AT-3. We don't need another IDF. Re-engine IDF with F124 is exactly of that thinking. That is, to get armed jet trainer.

 

For anyone who mentioned Grippen, please google some specifications. You'll find that the Swedish and ROCAF came up with very similar spec, but went with completely different approach. They wanted multi-role fighter from the beginning, and they have a lot of air space to cover. So they design a fighter with delta wing to maximize speed, max take off weight and fuel load. We wanted something to replace aging F-104G ASAP, thus optimized on interception, dogfight and climb with the data given by Lockheed Martin. JAS-39 is not a good solution to ROCAF. The overall capability between JAS-39 and IDF are too close to justify acquisition. And then you have a lot of system integration issues. It's simply easier for Taiwan to design a new airframe to cope with single F414 (or, better yet, single F100) with better radar and possibly built-in ECM.

 

 

Kfir? Why do we want another fighter designed around J79 when we just threw away another about 10 years ago?

 

The Kfir is getting long in the tooth.  It wouldn't be a good choice, even with the C.10 upgrade.  Taiwan can do better. 

 

BTW, SlowMan, if Russia has such a bad relationship to China, how come they're China's best military supplier?  Granted, the Russian aircraft companies are pissed at the outright theft of tech Chinese companies pull (as they should be), but Putin and Beijing are buddy-buddy, which is why they hold joint exercises.  They keep a wary eye on each other, but Russia has no fears selling to the PRC.  They do have fears of selling to Taiwan, since an angry PRC can make a great deal of trouble for Russia if they so wish. 

 

The T-50 in its FA-50 form would be a great replacement for the F-5s in ROCAF service, but it doesn't have BVR capability--it wouldn't be able to replace the Mirage 2000 as an interceptor.  It would be a nasty little light fighter, which Taiwan will eventually need, but it's not a high-level, BVR interceptor like the Typhoon or F-16 (as long as the F-16 has AMRAAM) would be.  Taiwan could be a partner for KFX, but they need a Mirage replacement now, not ten years from now--though it would be an idea for the long-term.

 

You're right about Boeing, though.  They probably wouldn't risk losing China, especially with the 787 running into trouble.

Taiwan shelves 9 Mirage jets due to lack of spare parts Asia-Pacific News Nov 8, 2009, 14:44 GMT Taipei - The Taiwan Air Force has shelved nine Mirage 2000-5 jets due to a lack of spare parts supplied by France, a newspaper report said Sunday. The China Times quoted an unnamed Air Force official as saying that the jets had been mothballed with assistance from France. The planes had undergone tests so that they could be reactivated, even for combat missions, he said. The delivery of pare parts could resume by the year-end, the official said. The China Times report comes one month after lawmaker Lin Yu-fang told parliament that difficulty in obtaining spare parts for maintenance had prompted the air force to cut each Mirage pilot's monthly training from 15 to six hours. Taiwan ordered 150 F-16A/Bs from the United States and 60 Mirage 2000-5s from France in 1992 as part of a defence acquisition deal. The F-16 and Mirage, together with 130 self-developed Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs), form the backbone of Taiwan's Air Force fleet. Taiwan has also met difficulty in obtaining 60 F-16C/Ds from the US to replace the outdated F-16A/Bs. Taiwan and US analysts have said US President Barack Obama may approve the F-16C/D sale to Taiwan after he visits China later this month. China, which sees Taiwan as its breakaway province, has warned the international community not to launch formal ties with or sell weapons to Taiwan. In all, 171 countries recognize China while only 23 mostly-small nations recognize Taiwan, the seat of the exiled Republic of China government since 1949.

spare parts in the future, maybe.

 

The rest is meaningless noise..

spare parts in the future, maybe.

 

The rest is meaningless noise..

its not going away...

Will President Obama green light F-16C/D to Taiwan before the end of the year?

 

Yes 

[put your ID here]

YelliChink (Wishful thinking, I know)

 

No

[put your ID here]

hmm, 5 years ago and then 2 years ago I stated on SP that the Taiwanese were having issues with their miracles....