Tsai inaugurates F-16 maintenance center in Taichung City

2020/09/02

President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 28 that the government is strengthening Taiwan’s defensive capabilities as part of efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and maintain regional peace and stability.
 
 Peace depends on national defense, Tsai said. This relationship also creates the conditions for associated efforts to promote industrial development by setting up supply chains, carrying out technology transfers and deepening the country’s talent pool, she added.
 
 Tsai made the remarks while inaugurating the F-16 maintenance center in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. Other public and private sector representatives on hand included National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo, Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa and Lockheed Martin Corp. Program Director Paul Scott.
 
 The center, established under a memorandum of understanding between Taichung -headquartered Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. and U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin, is expected over the next 30 years to produce related output of NT$79.5 billion (US$2.7 billion), create more than 600 jobs per annum and overall industry benefits of up to NT$200 billion.
 
 State-backed AIDC is a key player in the government’s five-plus-two innovative industries plan. Defense is a core component of the initiative encompassing the other high-growth sectors of biotech and pharmaceuticals, green energy, smart machinery and Internet of Things, as well as promotion of the circular economy and a new paradigm for agricultural development.
 
 According to Tsai, the center is set to significantly reduce maintenance time and increase the availability of Taiwan’s F-16 fighters. This will bolster the air force’s combat capabilities and ensure superiority in the skies on the front line of national defense, she said.
 
 The center also illustrates the government’s determination to defend Taiwan’s territory and support indigenous weapons systems, Tsai said. Some recent examples are the submarine program, Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer and fast-tracking the F-16 reconfiguration project, she added.
 
 Tsai said going forward, AIDC and the Ministries of Economic Affairs and National Defense will unveil measures aimed at encouraging more local firms to participate in the center’s maintenance and production functions. This represents a win-win for Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, aerospace industry technologies and standing in international aerospace supply chains, she added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)