Airforces

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 43

Airforces

Intelligence

‘In association with ....’

airforcesintel.com

ROCAF inventory

Delivered as Quantity In service

Combat aircraft

F-CK-1A* 104 103

* upgraded to F-CK-1C

F-CK-1B* 27 24

* upgraded to F-CK-1D

F-16A* 120 113

* being upgraded to F-16V

F-16B* 30 28

* being upgraded to F-16V

Mirage 2000-5Di 12 9

Mirage 2000-5Ei 48 46

F-5E 242 20

F-5F 66 32

RF-5E* 7 5

* converted F-5E airframes

AEW aircraft

E-2T/K* 4/2 4/2

* all now E-2K standard

C-130HE 1 1

ASW aircraft

P-3C 12 12

Transport aircraft

C-130H 20 19

Beech 1900C-1 12 11

Fokker 50 3 3

Boeing 737-800 1 1

Training aircraft

T-34C-1 44 35

AT- 3 61 47

Helicopters

S-70C-1 4 3

S-70C-1A 10 10

S-70C-6 4 3

EC225LP 3 3

UH-60M* 15 8

* being transferred from ROCA

AT-3, and the team’s pilots were

then provided by the Academy.

The AT-3s assigned to the team

had smoke generators fitted and

adopted a new white, red and

blue paint scheme which became

standard across the entire AT-3

fleet (the last to be repainted

were the former 35th Combat

Squadron aircraft transferred

to the Academy in 1999).

Although subject to a mid-

life upgrade between 2001 and

2006, the AT-3 is nearing the

end of its service life and will be

replaced by the XT-5 Advanced

Jet Trainer, which is expected

to enter ROCAF service in

the first half of the 2020s.

The XT-5 will also replace the

ageing F-5E/F lead-in trainers

at Zhihang which are now likely

to continue flying beyond their

planned 2019 retirement date.

ROCAF combat

training

Zhihang Air Force Base is also

home to the Tactical Training and

Development Center (TT&DC) –

established as the Tactical Training

Centre in April 1976 to improve

ROCAF air combat training.

The 46th Tactical Fighter

Squadron (TFS) of the Zhihang-

based 737th Tactical Fighter

Wing (TFW) became autonomous

on January 1, 1984 and began

reporting directly to the TT&DC.

It became a dedicated aggressor

squadron to support combat

training, and several F-5E/Fs were

repainted in either camouflage or

an overall silver scheme, including

red tactical numbers, to resemble

People’s Liberation Army Air

Force (PLAAF) combat aircraft.

Former USAF aggressor instructor

pilots meanwhile assisted in

training Taiwanese pilots to

simulate PLAAF combat tactics.

An Air Combat Maneuvering

Instrumentation range installed

off Taiwan’s east coast by

US company Cubic Defense

Systems became available for

realistic air warfare training

in 1988 – with 27 Airborne

Instrumentation Subsystem (AIS)

pods included in the contract.

The TT&DC was later expanded

with an ACMI section equipped

with the Display and Debriefing

Subsystem (DDS) for post-mission

debrief and analysis. Cubic

upgraded the tethered ACMI system

from 1999 to become a GPS Aids

ACMI range, also known as Taiwan

GAP (GPS ACMI Program) – which

incorporates both a tethered

and autonomous, ‘rangeless’ air

combat training system (ACT-R) for

training in any available airspace.

Above: The ROCAF Academy started to use the T-34C in May 1985. Out of a total of 44 Turbo Mentors delivered, nine have

been lost in various incidents to date – a 20% attrition rate. T-34C serial 3414 is seen at its Gangshan home. Wiebe Karsten

40-45 Taiwan AFM Oct2018.indd 43 9/10/2018 9:33:58 AM