Taiwan is abandoning its pursuit of domestically developing a next-generation fighter jet, and will instead procure advanced aircraft from the United States, according to a report by Up Media, a Taiwanese online news outlet. This decision, reached by Defence Minister Koo Li-hsiung, marks a significant shift in Taiwan’s defence acquisition strategy and highlights the technological and financial hurdles of developing advanced weapons systems independently.
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總統府, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The decision follows a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including the Air Force and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), the primary institution responsible for defence technology development in Taiwan. While Taiwan had initially aimed to achieve a 95% self-sufficiency rate in the new fighter jet, the project, initially assessed by the Air Force’s “Project 303” team, faced numerous challenges.
One significant obstacle was the lack of a foreign partner willing to take on the crucial role of system integration. Unlike the Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF) program, where U.S. firms played a critical role in integrating various systems, no such partners emerged for the next-generation fighter jet.
This lack of external support exacerbated existing technological gaps. Although Taiwan has made strides in aircraft design and production, it still needs expertise in areas vital for a next-generation fighter, such as high-thrust engines, sophisticated electronic systems, and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. While NCSIST had obtained permission to acquire F414-GE-400 engines from GE, progress on other essential technologies requiring US export licenses had stalled.
The financial burden of developing a next-generation fighter also played a role in the decision. The project’s estimated cost, amounting to billions of dollars, would have placed a significant strain on Taiwan’s defence budget. This financial reality coincided with a shift in Taiwan’s defence strategy, which now emphasizes asymmetric warfare capabilities and bolstering reserve forces.
Taiwan’s decision to procure its next-generation fighter jets from the US underscores the country’s commitment to maintaining a credible deterrent against potential threats. While the specific aircraft Taiwan intends to pursue remains undisclosed, the decision to seek foreign procurement reflects an acknowledgement of the challenges inherent in developing cutting-edge weapons systems independently.
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