F-16V to Be Sold to Taiwan (V for Viper)

choi

Today's news first.

(1)
(a) 游凱翔 and 王承中, 美售台F-16V戰機 配備精準空對地導引炸彈. 中央社, Aug 21, 2019.
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201908210078.aspx
(b) 涂鉅旻, 轟炸更準 美售我LJDAM導引段套件. Liberty Times, Aug 22, 2019.
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/paper/1312428

4 consecutive paragraphs:

"美國國防部國防安全合作局昨公布F-16 C/D Block70戰機（將一併升級為F-16V）的對台軍售清單，包括六十六架戰機、七十五組「F-110GE」發動機 [to upgrade Taiwan's existing F-16 A/Bs]、七十五組戰術數位資訊鏈路「Link-16」系統等軍備之外，還包含三套GBU-54「雷射導引聯合直攻彈藥」（LJDAM）[L for laser] 的導引段套件。

"「LJDAM」可由轟炸機或戰鬥機投放，最大射程約廿八公里。

"台海安全研究中心主任梅復興指出，此軍備等於是裝設雷射尋標器的五百磅衛星導引炸彈，精確度達僅用GPS導引的聯合直攻炸彈（JDAM）六倍，適合對高價值目標執行全天候精準打擊。

"事實上，美國政府在二○一七年同意售我國「AGM-154」滑翔炸彈及「AGM-88」高速反輻射飛彈，強化我國F-16戰機「空對面」打擊能力。軍方官員表示，如我國確定採購「LJDAM」，將進一步強化F-16戰機的運用彈性。

Note:
(i) There is no need to red the rest of this Liberty Times report.
(ii) Joint Direct Attack Munition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Direct_Attack_Munition
(JDAM; JDAM is not a stand-alone weapon; was jointly developed by the United States Air Force and United States Navy, hence the 'joint' in JDAMl table  In service 1997- )
(iii) AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-154_Joint_Standoff_Weapon
(JSOW, where "Joint" means cooperative development (of the missile) by both US Navy and Air Force; see table for both "In service 1998-present" and "Operational range")


(2) 游凱翔, 美售台亞洲最強中輕型F-16V戰機 6大看點. 中央社, Aug 19, 2019.
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201908190056.aspx

Quote:

"F-16V被稱為是「亞洲最強中輕型戰機」

"縮短起飛距離部分， [國防部智庫、國防安全研究院資源與產業研究所長] 蘇紫雲提到，F-16V可以配置F-110 GE-129或F-100 PW-229發動機，無論哪一型，相較舊型的發動機多出18%的推力，可以協助F-16V縮短起飛距離50公尺以上（舊型起飛距離約520公尺），同時可提高爬升率至每秒260公尺

"若美方同意出售適型油箱，滯空能力約可增加30%，對於延長打擊半徑及增加滯空時間、減少進場整補的需求，都有助增加存活能力。

"三、F-16V為什麼可能部署台東？ * * * 美國5月3日公布中國軍力報告書 * * * 蘇紫雲認為，S-400的射程雖然達400公里，照推論射程應涵蓋台灣全島，但這份報告書中為何認為台東志航基地不在射程內，他推測，五角大廈是將地球曲度、南大武山海拔約2800公尺等地形因素納入計算。

Note:
(a) The F-16 A/B --what President George HW Bush sold to Taiwan (announced in 1992) had F100-PW-220 engine, which was upgraded to -229 in the 2011 Congressional Notification. See F-16 Fighting Falcon. Globalsecirity.com. undated
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/taiwan/f-16.htm
("Replacing the Block 20’s existing F100-PW-220 turbofan engines (23,930-lb thrust) was originally proposed as part of the upgrade, and the Congressional Notification even included an engineering study for a power plant upgrade using the F100-PW-229 (29,160-lb thrust) engine. But Taiwan decided not to go ahead with an engine upgrade for the F-16A/B fleet, at least for the time being, mainly out of cost considerations. The engine replacement, together with several other minor upgrade items, would have cost an additional US$1.8 billion (NT$52.95 billion), beyond the originally estimated US$5.3 billion (NT$156.38 billion) in the September 2011 Congressional Notification. upgrading the existing F100-PW-220 engine to a new, higher-thrust, and more efficient power plant would have allowed TAF [Raiwan Air Force] to extend the useful service life of the upgraded Block 20 fleet well into the 2030s")
(b) The 適型油箱 alludes to Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT). See Geoff Ziezulewicz, Super Hornets and Growlers to Get Bigger Fuel Tanks. Navy Times, Feb 27, 2018.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/y ... -bigger-fuel-tanks/

Thi is what CFTs look like: Super Hornet Conformal Fuel Tanks. Navy Matters, Aug 26m 2016
https://navy-matters.blogspot.co ... mal-fuel-tanks.html