Taiwan’s military aircraft took off early yesterday morning to conduct a test firing mission of the AIM-120 advanced medium-range missile in home airspace. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Virgo)
Chinese military aircraft continue to intrude into Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ), causing tension in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. finally agreed to Taiwan’s first test launch of AIM-120 advanced medium-range missiles in the airspace southeast of the country based on Taiwan’s operational readiness needs. 2 missiles were launched by the newly upgraded F-16Vs early in the morning of the 11th, and the Taiwan Air Force is proud of the fact that they hit all of them. This is also the first time the U.S. government has agreed to test-fire the AIM-120 advanced medium-range missiles outside the United States.
According to local media reports, Taiwan’s four F-16V two-seat fighter planes, which have just completed a performance upgrade, each mounted two medium-range AIM-120 and two short-range rattlesnake missiles at 5 a.m. on the 11th, just after dawn, from the Air Force base in Chiayi, and flew rapidly to Taiwan’s southeastern airspace. The AIM-120 advanced medium-range missiles, each mounted on the right wingtip, were launched by aircraft 1 and 3 and hit the target aircraft accurately.
The F-16V two-seat fighter aircraft that completed the test firing of the AIM-120 missiles has successfully fired the missiles on the right wingtip. (Photo credit: Courtesy of reader Virgo)
The report pointed out that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense and the Air Force Command regarded the sensitive test-fire mission as confidential and did not deny that the Air Force had related exercises this week, but the matter was sensitive according to the usual practice of not confirming, not denying, and not making comments. Afterwards, it is said that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense is quite satisfied with the results of the test firing.
Some expert analysis pointed out that the most important thing is to verify the F-16V and the AIM-120 missile “machine bomb integration”, because the AIM-120 range of more than 75 kilometers, so as long as the communist aircraft into the Taiwan Strait over the AIM-120 air-to-air missile range, it can be caused to the communist aircraft The AIM-120 is within the range of the AIM-120 air-to-air missiles and can be used to deter communist aircraft.
AIM-120 missiles hanging from the wingtips of F-16s. (Photo credit: Liberty Times)
According to Chen Guoming, senior editor of Global Defense Magazine, the test launch conveys the strong demand of the U.S. to assist in “resisting China and protecting Taiwan”, and the concrete action of “opening insurance” in military cooperation. It means that Taiwan can flexibly use this kind of advanced weapons on its own. In addition, the U.S. allowed Taiwan to test-fire the AIM-120 on its soil, authorizing the “user country” to lead everything, which can also be said to be an indirect recognition of Taiwan as an independent sovereign state.
According to reports, the U.S. side was trying to ensure that the electromagnetic signals of the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles would not be detected and stolen by the Chinese Communist Party, so Taiwan’s F-16 pilots could only fire the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles at the U.S. base in Luke, and have been unable to fire live ammunition in Taiwan.
Recently, based on the growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, the U.S. finally agreed to test-fire the AIM-120 advanced medium-range missiles in Taiwan’s own airspace. This is the first time that the U.S. has agreed to test-fire the AIM-120 outside the U.S. since the U.S. sold Taiwan 200 AIM-120 missiles in 2000.
In addition, according to a tweet by the New 27 military magazine, the recent disturbance of Taiwan by Chinese military aircraft, the Transport 8 Far Caster, was surrounded by U.S. RC-135W electric reconnaissance aircraft and MQ-4C drones, although not confirmed by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense.
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