, TAIPEI: An upgraded indigenous defense fighter (IDF), known locally as the Ching-kuo jet fighter in memory of the late President Chiang Ching-kuo, will make its debut at an Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) plant in central Taiwan Tuesday.
President Chen Shui-bian will preside over the inaugural ceremony at the AIDC factory complex in Taichung County's Shalu township, during which the Ching-kuo fighter will be renamed the Chingkuo Imposing Eagle.
The locally developed and manufactured IDFs have been in service for more than 10 years. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has budgeted NT$7 billion for a mid-life upgrade of the 130 IDFs in the Air Force's combat wings.
The state-run AIDC was commissioned to carry out the IDF's mid-life upgrade project in cooperation with the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
As part of the upgrade, the IDF has been fitted with additional fuel tanks to increase its ability to stay in the air, defense officials said, adding that the plane's avionics have also been upgraded through the installation of a new flight control computer system.
Moreover, the officials said, the plane's structure has been strengthened to enhance its weapon capacity, with the number of Tienchien (Skysword) II air-to-air missiles carried rising from two to four.
Both the single-seater and twin-seater IDFs have undergone the mid-life upgrade, defense officials said.
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