https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/taiwan-looks-to-upgrade-mirage-2000s-to-bridge-f-16-delays
Taiwan Looks To Upgrade Mirage 2000s To Bridge F-16 Delays
Taiwan is looking at extending the service life of a portion of its Mirage 2000-5 fighters as it grapples with potential delays in receiving 66 new F-16C/D Block 70 jets from the United States. With concerns over potential Chinese aggression against Taiwan only growing, alongside an uptick in Chinese military aircraft activity around the island, the capabilities of Taiwan’s fighter fleet are increasingly under scrutiny.
According to a statement yesterday from Taiwan’s Air Force Command Headquarters, a study is now underway into the feasibility of extending the service life of nine of its 54 surviving Mirage 2000-5s. This was reported by Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency (CNA), which stated that the plan was based on “both strategic and risk-hedging reasons
The nine aircraft to be modernized would all be two-seaters, which is judged more cost-effective since these jets have a dual air defense and training role. However, there’s no reason why the same program couldn’t also be extended to single-seaters in the future, funds permitting.
The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) says that it’s working alongside the original equipment manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, as part of the evaluation, which will assess whether the jets in question can serve for another 20 years.
The ROCAF is reportedly paying $4.77 million for the study, which is scheduled to be completed by July 2026. While unclear from the reports so far, the relatively long timeline suggests that this could well be more than theoretical work and may also involve actual modernization of at least some of the aircraft earmarked.
