According to Taiwanese media reports, Xiong Houji, commander of the Taiwan (regional) Air Force, stepped down from May 1 and will be replaced by Deputy Commander Liu Renyuan. Xiong was an important promoter of the F-16V procurement case during Tsai's tenure and was deeply trusted by Taiwan's senior management and the US military. It took only three years from being promoted to Lieutenant General to being promoted to General. On the last day of his tenure, he reminded (or to the docking leader Liu Renyuan) that in recent years, the "enemies' situation is severe" and the flight mission is 1.5 times that of the past. The Air Force aircraft has entered the middle life stage. "Be sure to check the flight safety!"
"Strategic Advisor" Xiong Houji
Xiong Houji rose during Chen Shui-bian's tenure. When he served in the 401 Wing on February 5, 2001, he and Huang Renguang were at the time of major flying the F-16 Block 20 fighter jet number 6821, and completed air-to-sea test-fire with Harpoon missile in the Pingtung waters, successfully hitting the target ship. Therefore, they are considered to be the "first pilot who successfully launched harpoon missiles with F-16 fighter jet ."
July 1, 2019 Xiong took over Zhang Zheping's position and was promoted to commander of the Taiwan Air Force. There were constant accidents during his term of office. According to Taiwanese media, Xiong Chang stayed until late at night to think of countermeasures. On October 29, 2020, an F-5E fighter jet at the Taiwan Air Force Zhihang Base fell into the sea. After 16 days of inspection, Xiong Houji personally flew the plane and led the team to resume flights.
This resignation is said to be a "cause of physical health". Tsai Ing-wen commented that Xiong Houji's tenure in office for the past three years was "dedicated to the duty and defending the country" without slackness." Especially in the face of the "frequent invasion of the Taiwan Strait" in recent years, Xiong Houji led all the air forces of the Taiwan airspace to guard the airspace and protect the security of the Taiwan island, and actively implemented important tasks such as the F-16V BLK20 installation and the "defense autonomous" Yongying aircraft pick-up, etc. It is said that Xiong Houji immediately transferred to Tsai's "strategic consultant".
On the last day of his tenure, Xiong Houji specifically reminded that in recent years, the "enemy situation is severe", the flight mission is 1.5 times that of the past, and the Air Force aircraft have entered the middle life stage, "Be sure to check the safety of the flying"! Although Xiong Houji exaggerates the "mainland threat", he is still a little conscientious for the officers and soldiers of the Taiwan Air Force - most of the fighter jets in service in Taiwan have indeed entered the middle and late lifespan.
Taiwan Air Force new commander Liu Renyuan
Since the 1990s, the Taiwan Air Force has begun to replace three new fighter jets: IDF "Jingguo" developed and produced on the island, US-made F-16A/B and legal Phantom 2000-5. According to the available information, the Taiwan Air Force currently has 140 F-16 fighter jets (including the upgraded F-16V), 129 IDF fighter jets, and 254 "Mage"-2000 fighter jets. They have basically been in service for more than 20 years, and have been in full swing for 30 years.
Taiwan Army's first F-16A/B model was shipped in 1996. Its current age is 25 years, and the last F-16A/B was included in the market in 2004, and it has been more than 18 years. Although the Taiwan authorities are upgrading these F-16A/Bs to F-16V fighter , and 64 of them have been included in the army, it does not mean that their lifespan can be significantly extended. On January 12, at the beginning of the year, an F-16V fighter jet at the Chiayi Base of the Taiwan Air Force fell into the sea during training, which means that under high-intensity training or duty, the Taiwan military's F-16 fighter jets, , are entering the dusk of life one after another.
Another main fighter of the Taiwan Army, Phantom 2000, also fell on March 14 this year, but fortunately the pilot parachuted and escaped. France's 60 Phantom 2000 fighter jets have arrived in Taiwan in 1997, with a total of 6 crashing and 4 pilots killed. Taiwanese media previously reported that due to the lack of guarantees and high spare parts prices in France, the proper rate of the Air Force Phantom 2000 before and after 2009 was only 50%. After the crash this year, Taiwanese media reported that in addition to the lack of spare parts to be repaired and the "spare parts machine" used as an "organ provider", only more than 20 aircraft can be used. Since Phantom 2000 was discontinued as early as 2009, and the flight cost per unit time is more than three times higher than F-16 and IDF, its proper rate and chance of accidents are worrying.
Air Force F16 aircraft group
IDF "Jingguo" fighter jets have been put into service one after another since 1992. Although the performance improvement of "20 years of life extension" was successively carried out according to batches, since this type of aircraft was deployed in Qingquangang and Tainan bases in Taichung, the duty tasks were heavy, so its life span also entered the middle and late stages without exception.
Xiong Houji sounded the alarm before leaving office, reminding the successor to "be sure to keep Fei'an", or "when people are about to leave, their words are good." Some experts believe that the remaining service life of many fighter jets is less than 1,000 flight hours, mainly because its body life and toughness are no longer as good as before. Before the Taiwan Army's 66 newly purchased F-16Vs were listed as the army, it is highly likely that Taiwan Air Force fighter jets will frequently occur.
