In 2020, Taiwan and the United States officially signed a purchase contract for 66 F-16V fighters. These latest models of F-16 cost a total of US$8 billion, with a single machine price of up to US$120 million. They are all expected to arrive in 2026. In addition, Taiwan also plans to upgrade all F-16A/B fighter jets to the F-16V version, with the United States providing components and Taiwan being responsible for final assembly.
F-16V fighter
List of Taiwan Air Force active fighter aircraft
Currently, the Taiwan Air Force has 368 active fighter aircraft, including F-16A/B, F-5E, Mirage-2000, and IDF models. Although third-generation fighters account for a relatively large proportion, The overall equipment level is basically that of the late 1980s to the early 1990s, and most of them have been in service for more than 20 years and are seriously aging. Facing the increasingly powerful mainland air force, the Taiwan Air Force has long been unable to cope with its capabilities. The arrival of the F-16V fighter jets has undoubtedly given the Taiwan Air Force a shot in the arm. Top Taiwanese military officials have even said that the F-16V fighter jets can deal with the mainland's J-20 stealth fighter . Let’s laugh at these exaggerated remarks. As the newest member of the F-16 family, the F-16V does have considerable combat capabilities.
F-16V and J-10C are respectively the most advanced medium-sized fighters of the air forces on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Many indicators are relatively close and have strong comparability. After acquiring the F-16V, can the Taiwan Air Force suppress the mainland's J-10C fighters? What are the upgrades of
F-16V?
F-16 fighter aircraft is the most successful third-generation medium-sized fighter aircraft in the world. From F-16A/B to the current F-16E/F, more than 4,500 aircraft have been mass-produced, and various batches have been ongoing. A number of upgrades. The F-16V fighter jet, known as the super "F-16", is a "development model" launched by Lockheed Martin in 2012. The Taiwanese authorities funded the research and development of this model.
As the latest member of the F-16 fighter family, the core upgrade of the F-16V is the replacement of the APG-83 variable agile beam active phased array radar (SABR). This radar can perform air-to-air and air-to-ground modes at the same time. mission, or staggered scanning of the two modes, can simultaneously scan all targets from the ground to the air. The multi-target tracking capability has been greatly improved compared with the F-16's previous radar system, and has the ability to launch the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missile capabilities.
In addition, the F-16V is also equipped with a new generation of modular central computer, a new glass cockpit, Link-16 communication system, identification friend or foe system, automatic collision avoidance system (Auto-GCAS), photoelectric pod, JHMCS helmet display, AIM -9X combat missile, and can be sprayed with Have Glass II stealth coating according to customer needs.
was also equipped with the latest F110-GE-132 engine, with a maximum thrust of 144 KN and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 7.8, which greatly improved the maneuverability.
F-16V upgrade details
F-16V cockpit adopts a "one level and three bottom" layout, achieving full glass
Partial list of this procurement contract
F-16V and J-10C comprehensive comparative analysis
F-16V and J-1 0C basic parameters Comparison table
- airborne radar performance comparison
F-16V is equipped with the AN/APG-83 active phased array radar developed by Northrop Company . It can match the F-22 "Raptor" in terms of detection range, resolution and sensitivity. "The APG-77 is comparable to the APG-81 of the F-35 Lightning II. The manufacturer claims that its detection range is twice that of the AN/APG-68 radar, its beam power is 3 to 4 times that of traditional mechanical scanning radar, its detection azimuth range is ±60°, and it can simultaneously perform air-air and air-ground searches. mission, combined with synthetic aperture radar, to obtain higher detection accuracy.
However, this type of radar was developed based on the nose structure of the F-16A/B fighter. The F-16A/B fighter cannot be equipped with a special radar cooling system like the F-16E/F, so AN/APG From the beginning of development, the -83 radar has fewer T/R components than the AN/APG-80 radar and limits the power of the radar. It is generally believed that the AN/APG-83 radar is a low-profile version of the airborne active phased array radar, and its overall performance is not even as good as the AN/APG-80 radar on the F-16 block60.
AN/APG-83 active phased array radar
We don’t know what type of radar the J-10C is equipped with, but the performance of the J-10C radar can basically be concluded from the public information.
The export-use three-array airborne radar and the camera-scanning airborne radar displayed at the air show
The T/R component of the domestic active phased array radar
The nose diameter of the J-10C is larger than that of the F-16
As early as Zhuhai Airlines At the exhibition , the 14th Institute of China Electronics Technology exhibited the KLJ-7A airborne active phased array fire control radar for export. It is reported that the comprehensive performance of the radar is equivalent to the AN/APG-81 radar mounted on the F-35 fighter aircraft . The self-use version is definitely better than the export version, so it can be determined that the performance of the new active phased array radar carried by the J-10C reaches or exceeds the technical level of the AN/APG-81 radar. Compared with the J-10A, the J-10C has an enlarged nose diameter and is equipped with about 1,400 T/R components. The air-to-air detection distance for typical targets exceeds 240 kilometers. For stealth fighters such as the F-22A also has a detection range of 100 kilometers.
Based on comprehensive comparison, the radar performance of the J-10C should be higher than that of the AN/APG-83.
- air-to-air missile performance comparison
The air-to-air missile supporting the F-16V is the AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missile and the AIM-9X short-range combat missile. In the future, it may be equipped with the AIM-120D medium- and long-range air-to-air missile. Among them, the AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missile has a maximum effective range of only 80 kilometers, while the latest AIM-120D missile uses the new ramjet engine , and the maximum range can reach 160 kilometers. The AIM-9X "Sea Sidewinder" missile is the fourth generation short-range combat missile of the United States. It has a ±90° off-axis launch capability, uses infrared guidance, and has a maximum range of up to 30 kilometers. It is a very excellent missile .
AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missile
AIM-9X air-to-air missile
The J-10C is equipped with PL-15 and PL-10E air-to-air missiles
The air-to-air missiles equipped with the J-10C include PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles and PL-12 medium-range air-to-air missiles. missiles and PL-10E close-range combat missiles. Among them, the PL-15 air-to-air missile uses a solid dual-pulse engine. Its biggest feature is that it can ignite multiple times during flight, has a wider flight envelope, and has a maximum launch distance of more than 200 kilometers. , superior to the AIM-120D air-to-air missile. PL-12 air-to-air missile is my country's active main battle medium-range air-to-air missile, with a maximum range of 70 kilometers, and its comprehensive performance is second only to the AIM-120C missile. The off-axis launch angle of the PL-10E infrared combat bomb can reach 180 degrees. With the new generation helmet sighting system, as long as the enemy is within the front hemisphere field of view of our fighter, it can be locked and launched. The maximum overload is 60G, and the maximum range exceeds It has a range of 30 kilometers, and its performance is superior to the American AIM-9X short-range combat missile .
In terms of air-to-air missile performance, the PL-15 and PL-10E mounted on the J-10C can both suppress the AIM-120C and AIM-9X missiles mounted on the F-16V. Since the radar performance and missile range of the F-16V are inferior to those of the J-10C, it cannot gain any advantage in over-the-horizon air combat.
- Comparison of battlefield perception capabilities
F-16V and J-10C both adopt relatively advanced identification friend or foe systems, communication command systems and radar warning systems, and both have relatively advanced battlefield perception capabilities. However, the J-10C is equipped with an infrared search and tracking system (IRST), which can detect enemy fighters and missiles at long distances without turning on the radar, improve its concealment capabilities, and has good detection performance against stealth fighters, while the F-10C 16V is not equipped with a similar system.
Close-up of the IRST system on the J-10C nose
- Maneuvering performance comparison
F-16V is equipped with an F110-GE-132 engine, with a maximum thrust of 144 KN and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 7.8. Compared with the F-16A/B, the thrust of the F-16V engine has increased by 30%, and the maneuverability has also been greatly improved.
The J-10C is equipped with a WS-10B engine with a maximum thrust of 141KN and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 8. With close coupling of canards and DSI inlets, it has excellent sub-supersonic performance and high instantaneous pointing. It is superior to the F-16V in high-speed maneuverability.
aerospace engines have always been a weakness of our military industry. Although the WS-10B engine is not inferior in terms of maximum thrust and thrust-to-weight ratio, it is significantly inferior to the F110-GE-132 engine in terms of fuel economy, reliability, life and other indicators. The gap is something we should face squarely.
Domestic engine
- Ground attack performance comparison
The F-16 fighter itself has excellent ground attack performance, and the F-16V further strengthens this performance. It is reported that the F-16V purchased by Taiwan can carry various types of GUB guided bombs, AGM-154C precision guided missiles and AGM-88B high-speed anti-radiation missiles, and has powerful ground strike performance.
F-16 is equipped with AGM-88B high-speed anti-radiation missile
. The J-10’s ground attack weapons include KD-88 air-to-ground missile , YJ-91 anti-radiation missile and various laser/satellite guided bombs. Its multi-purpose capabilities are significantly improved. , the comprehensive ground attack performance is basically the same as that of the F-16V.
J-10C multiple weapon mounting modes display
J-10C mounted KD-88 missile dedicated data link pod
Through the above comprehensive comparison, the J-10C is superior to the F-16V fighter in terms of overall strength. In the future, In an encounter, it can suppress the F-16V fighters of the Taiwan Air Force.
Taiwan is less than 200 kilometers away from the mainland, and its major airports are within the strike range of our long-range fire and short-range surface-to-surface missiles. In the event of a war, it will be difficult to say whether the Taiwan Air Force's fighter jets can take off smoothly from the airport. The F-16Vs imported at a huge cost may be rubbed against the ground by the mainland's long-range fire!
