Delay' Delivery of F-16 Viper, Becomes One Reason for Taiwan to Upgrade Mirage 2000-5

Delay' Delivery of F-16 Viper, Becomes One Reason for Taiwan to Upgrade Mirage 2000-5

Referring to the news last May, it was stated that the Taiwan Ministry of Defense was considering options to upgrade or replace the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets. One of the reasons for this consideration was because of the age of the delta wing fighter jet which was getting old. Later strengthened the option to upgrade, but it turned out that it had something to do with the F-16 Viper.

Quoted from focustaiwan.tw (31/7/2023), Taiwan's move to upgrade the Mirage 2000-5 due to delays in the scheduled delivery of F-16 Block 70 Viper fighter jets (66 units purchased recently) from Lockheed Martin. There was no mention of the reason for the delay experienced by Lockheed Martin. However, several aircraft manufacturers, despite being flooded with orders, are also facing problems in the component supply chain, one of which is the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Due to the delay in the delivery of the F-16 Viper, in order to maintain combat readiness, Taiwan will then modernize the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets. Taiwan in this case plans to test the possibility of upgrading nine of the 54 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to extend their operational life. This has been announced by the Taiwan Air Force Command Headquarters.

All nine upgradeable Mirage 2000-5s are tandem seat variants, allowing them to be used for combat and training missions.

The Taiwan Air Force is currently working with Dassault Aviation to evaluate the possibility of further upgrades for the operation of the Mirage 2000-5 for the next 20 years. The study will last until July 2026, and will cost around US$4.77 million.

The Mirage 2000s was Taiwan's premier fighter in the 90s. From the initial 60 units, now there are 54 aircraft units still operating after six were damaged in an accident.

For maintenance matters, Taiwan has a maintenance service agreement with France that expires in 2026. The Taiwanese government has asked Dassault to upgrade the Mirage 2000 several times. However, there are allegations that due to pressure from Beijing – the French company is said to have demanded a high price for the upgrade costs of the Mirage 2000.

In the purchase package for 60 Mirage 2000-5 units - consisting of 48 Mirage 2000-5EI (single seat) and 12 Mirage 2000-5DI (tandem seats), the Taiwan Air Force also received 460 units of Magic missiles and 960 units of Mica missiles. Taiwan has allocated US$16.7 million to the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to extend the life of the French short-range air-to-air missile.

The Taiwan Air Force is also currently pursuing an upgrade target of 141 F-16s with a value of NT$110 billion (US$4.56 billion), all of which will be converted to the Viper standard. In addition, Taiwan is also in the process of procuring 66 (new) F-16 Viper fighter jets with a value of US $ 8 billion. Overall, Taiwan will operate 200 more F-16s. The upgrade program for the 142 F-16 A/B units is carried out by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), and all upgrade processes are scheduled to be completed in 2023. (Gilang Perdana)

Gegara ‘Delay’ Pengiriman F-16 Viper, Jadi Satu Alasan Taiwan Upgrade Mirage 2000-5

Merujuk ke pemberitaan bulan Mei lalu, disebutkan Kementerian Pertahanan Taiwan tengah mempertimbangkan opsi untuk melakukan upgrade atau mengganti jet tempur Mirage 2000-5. Pertimbangan tersebut dikemukakan salah satunya karena usia jet tempur bersayap delta itu yang telah menua. Belakangan menguat opsi untuk melakukan upgrade, tapi ternyata itu ada kaitan dengan F-16 Viper.

Dikutip dari focustaiwan.tw (31/7/2023), langkah Taiwan untuk melakukan upgrade atas Mirage 2000-5 karena adanya keterlambatan pada jadwal pengiriman jet tempur F-16 Block 70 Viper (66 unit dibeli baru) dari Lockheed Martin. Tidak disebutkan alasan keterlambatan yang dialami Lockheed Martin. Namun, beberapa pabrikan pesawat meski kebanjiran order juga menghadapi masalah pada rantai pasokan komponen, yang salah satunya imbas dari perang di Ukraina.

Atas keterlambatan pengiriman F-16 Viper, guna menjaga kesiapan tempur, kemudian Taiwan akan memodernsasi jet tempur Mirage 2000-5. Taiwan dalam hal ini berencana untuk menguji kemungkinan meningkatkan sembilan unit dari 54 unit jet tempur Mirage 2000-5 untuk memperpanjang usia operasional. Hal ini telah diumumkan oleh Markas Besar Komando Angkatan Udara Taiwan.

Kesembilan Mirage 2000-5 yang dapat akan di-upgrade adalah varian kursi ganda (tandem seat), yang memungkinkan untuk digunakan untuk misi pertempuran dan pelatihan.

Angkatan Udara Taiwan saat ini telah menggandeng Dassault Aviation untuk mengevaluasi kemungkinan upgrade lebih jauh untuk pengoperasian Mirage 2000-5 hingga 20 tahun mendatang. Studi ini akan berlangsung hingga Juli 2026, dan akan menelan biaya sekitar US$4,77 juta.

Mirage 2000-an adalah pesawat tempur utama Taiwan pada era 90-an. Dari awalnya 60 unit, kini ada 54 unit pesawat masih beroperasi setelah enam mengalami kerusakan dalam kecelakaan.

Untuk urusan perawatan, Taiwan memiliki perjanjian layanan pemeliharaan dengan Perancis yang berakhir pada tahun 2026. Pemerintah Taiwan telah meminta Dassault untuk melakukan upgrade Mirage 2000 beberapa kali. Tetapi, ada dugaan karena tekanan dari Beijing – perusahaan Perancis itu dikatakan telah menuntut harga tinggi untuk biaya upgrade Mirage 2000.

Dalam paket pembelian 60 unit Mirage 2000-5 – terdiri dari 48 Mirage 2000-5EI (single seat) dan 12 Mirage 2000-5DI (tandem seat), AU Taiwan juga mendapatkan 460 unit rudal Magic dan 960 unit rudal Mica. Taiwan telah mengalokasikan dana US$16,7 juta kepada National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, untuk memperpanjang usia rudal udara-ke-udara jarak pendek buatan Perancis itu.

AU Taiwan saat ini juga tengah mengejar target upgrade 141 unit F-16 dengan nilai NT$110 miliar (US$4,56 miliar), yang kesemuanya akan diubah ke standar Viper. Selain itu, Taiwan juga sedang dalam proses pengadaan 66 jet tempur F-16 Viper (baru) dengan nilai US$8 miliar. Secara keseluruhan, Taiwan akan mengoperasikan 200 unit lebih F-16. Program upgrade ke-142 unit F-16 A/B dilaksanakan oleh Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), dan semua proses upgrade dijadwalkan tuntas pada tahun 2023. (Gilang Perdana)

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