I see a pattern in here for users of this forums in general resorting to disingenuous replies based on my own experience.
Yeah and who will help designating targets for those missiles ? Manned aircraft, maybe stealth or even drones can do the job.
Who can provide the battle damage assessment ? aircrafts.
Are you asserting Taiwan doesn't have any aircrafts?
Also satellites exist and are useful for battle damage assessment on static targets.
Most importantly.. in day-to day job in establishing your air sovereignty, will SAM's or missiles do ? No. You need again.. Aircrafts. The more capable the better it can do its job.
More importantly you either didn't bother to read my replies in this thread or are intentionally disingenuously ignoring what I wrote in here as I stated that Taiwan should have produced more of its own very fighter jets because it would slow down progress of forceful unification in order for the U.S. to get involved yet if you were to acknowledge that in your reply that would render it obviously pointless to everyone.
and who can do Air defense job without limitations of horizon ? Aircrafts. You can pick low flying cruise missiles with combination of AEW aircrafts or build an aircraft having large and powerful intercept radar. This what Russians do with MiG-31 and US with F-111B and later F-14. and soon F-15EX.
Taiwan has several AEW aircrafts and there is no context of any sort for your reply to make sense unless I had to tell you something really obvious such as using AEW aircrafts that Taiwan has to you and others in here simply because I did not mention it in my replies.
The way of thinking missiles can do everything is unfortunately not fit with reality and has been so since 1950's. The British tried to do that.. Soviet tried to do that.. It just dont work.
Except nowhere I stated that missiles can do everything as evident by what I have written as it is about what is most cost effective considering huge size difference between two sides that can be described as being of biblical proportions. Taiwan is no Sparta.
If talking defence of Taiwan, we're talking of p[otentially 1800+ PLAAF vs ~380 (including trainer versions) ROCAF fighters. Therefore relying on aircraft for aerial self defence is already arguably a lost cause. Even ion the PLAAF were to only use a 1/4 of their force they would still have overmatch. Hence the argument that Taiwan needs to also consider the use of SAMs.
Primary issue is that Taiwan relies too much on importing foreign military hardware instead of producing it domestically and for currency to circulate within Taiwanese economy as it is more cost effective option in long term in order to increase military power.
Taiwan is producing AESA radars, it does not need F-16V when it could upgrade avionics of F-16A and F-CK-1 to have AESA radar and Taiwan is capable of producing optics for heat seekers thus it could produce F&F FGM-148 Javelin equivalent ATGM thus M1A2T is not necessary when vast majority if not all armored fighting vehicles are going to be light weight category.
Combined cost of procurement of F-16V and M1A2T is 9 or 10 billion USD, that is certainly enough to upgrade F-16A along F-CK-1 with AESA radar thus there would be more fighter jets with AESA radar than by just having F-16V as sole type with AESA radar.
Moreover, one is mistaken if they think such a battle would not include the use of ballistic missiles & cruise missiles, both in non-nuclear forms, hence why the mention of those with ABM capabilities as well.
This doesn't make sense as no one in here stated that there would not be ballistic and cruise missiles being used including me as I have stated that it is a losing game to invest resources in such when those will be extremely overmatched just like ROCAF against PLAAF when it comes to ballistic missiles when cruise missiles are far more potent threat to Taiwanese armed forces that needs to invest in mobile SAM systems by developing equivalent to Buk.
Just goes to show how unrealistic your assessments are.
Sure, as if there aren't enough J-7, JH-7 and J-8 fighter jets that combined there are almost two fold more of them than entire ROCAF.
Just those three models.
So you essentially want a F-5E class fighter jet to be developed in early 2000s? For what? Have you ever considered why all the F-5 replacements have been significantly larger? They are at least 3 to 4 times the empty weight of F-5Es for a reason. Ever heard of F-20?
In order: No. Against J-7, JH-7 and J-8. Yes. So what. Yes.
Have you considered that Taiwan almost went with upgrading F-5 by integrated same licensed radar as F-CK-1. That one is also used on South Korean FA-50 fighter jet that is derivative of T-50 advanced trainer jet. Singapore Brasil, United States upgraded their F-5s that allowed them comparable radar range to F-CK-1 and use of BVRAAM.
Taiwan produces the engine used in F-CK-1, has capability to produce AESA radar and has BVRAAM with range of up to 100 kilometer.
Thinking this more thoroughly, it seems viable that single engine delta wing might at least in terms of speed and range match F-CK-1.
Removing both revolver cannons, ammunition for those and reduce fuel load by 512 liters as F125 is 20% more efficient than J85.
Length of airframe can be reduced because of that and only single intake would be needed for single jet engine.
Weight reduction could be at least 1000kg and probably more, thus in the end range would be increased over F-5E Tiger II.
And you even proceed to go against what RAND is suggesting Taiwan should do?
Majority of funding that RAND receives is from the U.S. government agencies and it would be in their interest for Taiwan to buy F-16V as that would reduce cost of procurement of it and whoever there may want in American armed forces for F-16V to be adopted.
Guess you also have a fellowship by some established think tank I guess, to be so bold?
No, it is just basic mathematics and logic anyone should be capable of having that its more cost effective for Taiwan to produce not import and KMT at least used prospect of importing US arms as political leverage while DPP are bunch of clowns that will poke bear until it had it enough then shock and awe when decapitation happens as if it wasn't unprovoked in ways KMT would resort to another civil war.
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