Taiwan Gives Up On F-35, Turns to F-16V Option - Their M-2000s are up for sale

(opex360, aug.02)

Taiwan plans to extend the service life of some of its Mirage 2000-5s


In November 2022, during the "Tien Lung" (Sky Dragon) exercise organised by the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF), four F-16 fighter-bombers were to simulate an attack on the island, while four Mirage 2000-5s were supposed to prevent them. The result of this confrontation was reported by the NOWnews news portal earlier this year. And it emerged that the French-designed aircraft clearly had the upper hand in this confrontation.​
Indeed, Lieutenant-Colonel Zhuang Weibo of the 2nd Tactical Fighter Wing, based in Hsinchu, said that the "score" was 4-1 in favour of the Mirage 2000-5. However, the conditions under which this air combat simulation took place were not specified. But it is interesting to note that the role of attacker was entrusted by the Taiwanese staff to F-16s.​
Whatever the case, and with the constant pressure exerted by the air component of the People's Liberation Army [PLA], Taiwan's combat aircraft are being put to the test... which means that their potential is diminishing by the day. And one of Taipei's concerns is their maintenance in operational condition [MCO], the costs of which are constantly rising, particularly for the oldest aircraft. At the same time, deliveries of the 66 F-16 'Vipers' ordered from the United States are running behind schedule, which is another source of concern...​
One of the options being considered by Taipei is to extend the service life of some of the 54 Mirage 2000-5s still in service out of the 60 acquired at the end of the 1990s for 20 billion francs at the time.​
In a press release issued on 31 July, the Taiwanese Air Force General Staff said it wanted "to know whether the service life of a certain number of Mirage 2000s can be extended for both strategic and risk coverage reasons", Focus Taiwan reported.​
A budget of 4.7 million dollars will be made available for this purpose and the assessment of the condition of these aircraft, in particular 9 two-seaters, should be entrusted to Dassault Aviation. The assessment is due to be completed in 2026, which suggests, given this timeframe, that modernisation of these few Mirage 2000s is not out of the question. However, such a programme would inevitably give rise to diplomatic complications, as the People's Republic of China is always very touchy when it comes to arms contracts with Taiwan.​
According to the local press, the possibility of keeping the Mirage 2000-5B in service for a further twenty years would give the Taiwanese air force greater flexibility, as these aircraft can be used both for combat missions and to train its new pilots. What's more, in addition to their intrinsic performance [in particular their rate of climb] and armament [MICA and Magic II missiles], these aircraft can be fitted with the ASTAC electronic intelligence pod, supplied by Thales.​
In the meantime, the Mirage 2000 remains a popular fighter aircraft. In 2021, the Indian Air Force has said that it wants to keep its Mirage 2000s as long as possible [or even buy second-hand ones], while Indonesia recently took over those belonging to the Emir of Qatar's Air Force. Finally, Greece, Morocco and Egypt are said to be interested in the 60 Mirage 2000-9s deployed by the United Arab Emirates. In France, the Armée de l'Air & de l'Espace [AAE] will dispose of its last Mirage 2000-5s in 2028./deepl

Excellent move. I hope the French don't back out.

Hopefully we will see the M2000 in Taiwan until the late 2030s. But an assessment only finishing by 2026 could be late.
 
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All you have to do is propose UTTAM to Taiwan.
Wow! Such a thing never crossed my mind. But that move would seriously p** off the Chinese, lol. Will GOI & French gov. agree?

Maybe, we should upgrade our M-2000 with Uttam variant first. That most definitely will increase its air to air capabilities. That should allow Meteor/Astra 3 integration possible as well.
 
Wow! Such a thing never crossed my mind. But that move would seriously p** off the Chinese, lol. Will GOI & French gov. agree?

Maybe, we should upgrade our M-2000 with Uttam variant first. That most definitely will increase its air to air capabilities. That should allow Meteor/Astra 3 integration possible as well.

DRDO offered it for both Mig-29UPG and M2000UPG. Haven't heard much about it after that.

If we are planning to build 25-30 LCAs a year, then it would make more sense to replace it though. The AESA R&D effort will end up far more expensive than just buying more LCAs. Rather just stick the MICA NG on it once ready and pair it with the Rafale.
 
DRDO offered it for both Mig-29UPG and M2000UPG. Haven't heard much about it after that.

If we are planning to build 25-30 LCAs a year, then it would make more sense to replace it though. The AESA R&D effort will end up far more expensive than just buying more LCAs. Rather just stick the MICA NG on it once ready and pair it with the Rafale.
Why import Indian radar when Taiwan has a large number of APG-83s? Indian products are not only immature and technologically backward,And until now, there has been no large-scale equipment on active aircraft, Moreover, the Mirage 2000 itself will gradually retire when the F16V arrives in Taiwan. Now it's just about maintaining normal flight
 
Why import Indian radar when Taiwan has a large number of APG-83s? Indian products are not only immature and technologically backward,And until now, there has been no large-scale equipment on active aircraft,

The Indian radar is in reference to upgrading IAF Mirages, not Taiwan's. DRDO claims Uttam is superior to both the RBE-2 AESA and EL/M 2052. It's also the reason why the IAF has replaced 2052 with Uttam on LCA Mk1A. All Indian-designed jets will carry Uttam.

Moreover, the Mirage 2000 itself will gradually retire when the F16V arrives in Taiwan. Now it's just about maintaining normal flight

Possibly. But Taiwan is conducting a study on whether to retire the jet or upgrade some. They will know the result in 2026 for 9 two-seat jets.


IAF Mirages have 11500 hours of service life. That's 70 years. Taiwan's jets are only 25 years old. So any upgrade is a political decision, depending on France's support. Or they can sell it to India.
 
French missed the trick by not designing an AESA radar for M-2000 MLU.
The Dassault goal was to avoid any shade on the Rafale. An AESA M2000 will be a threat to Rafale.
The French air force didn't have the money to fit an AESA on M2000 (there was a plan to install a RC400 radar on the upgraded M2000D : too costly....)

SO : no way.
I hope the French don't back out.
I hope Macron will have the balls. Not sure....
 
Man! I speculated in my previous post that we should put Uttam in our Mirage-2000 jets and voila there are some reports(speculative!) that we are going to do so in future. IAF's love for M-2000 is well known. So it could be a definite possibility.

Maybe, we should upgrade our M-2000 with Uttam variant first. That most definitely will increase its air to air capabilities. That should allow Meteor/Astra 3 integration possible as well.
 
IAF Mirages have 11500 hours of service life. That's 70 years. Taiwan's jets are only 25 years old. So any upgrade is a political decision, depending on France's support. Or they can sell it to India
Do you have any sources to prove that the Mirage fighter has a lifespan of over 10000 hours? As far as I know, most of Taiwan's illusions are concentrated at the Jiashan base, waiting for retirement.
The Indian radar is in reference to upgrading IAF Mirages, not Taiwan's. DRDO claims Uttam is superior to both the RBE-2 AESA and EL/M 2052. It's also the reason why the IAF has replaced 2052 with Uttam on LCA Mk1A. All Indian-designed jets will carry Uttam.
It seems that the fighter jets you mentioned are not yet in service. I remember India will use Israeli products on the MAK1A, but there is no exact time yet for whether and when Indian products will be in service.
 
I hope Macron will have the balls. Not sure....

If there were no serious espionage concerns, the Rafale was the obvious successor to the M2000. But any chance of that happening is only after China's invasion fails.

It's a huge problem if the French are setting roadblocks to even upgrading older jets. ICMS Mk4 and new weapons will be necessary to keep it relevant.
 
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Man! I speculated in my previous post that we should put Uttam in our Mirage-2000 jets and voila there are some reports(speculative!) that we are going to do so in future. IAF's love for M-2000 is well known. So it could be a definite possibility.

Uttam on M2000 with Meteor integration was on the wishlist of not just fanboys but the IAF too. But I guess it died after they decided Meteor integration on M2000 was unrealistic. LCA Mk1A seems to have killed this plan.
 
Do you have any sources to prove that the Mirage fighter has a lifespan of over 10000 hours? As far as I know, most of Taiwan's illusions are concentrated at the Jiashan base, waiting for retirement.

Old Mirage came with 5000-6000 hours, Taiwan's Mirages can manage 7500 hours. IAF's Mirages have doubled service life with a life extension of 5500 hours.

India operates Mirages in a semi-desert region while Taiwan operates in a marine environment, so they have different problems. Even if service life is high, Taiwan's Mirages need upgrades. They are already 26 years old.

It seems that the fighter jets you mentioned are not yet in service. I remember India will use Israeli products on the MAK1A, but there is no exact time yet for whether and when Indian products will be in service.

So your assertion of Uttam being technologically backward is wrong, 'cause it will be used in future jets.

Israeli radar and EW suite will be replaced with Indian products from the third squadron onwards.
 
Old Mirage came with 5000-6000 hours, Taiwan's Mirages can manage 7500 hours. IAF's Mirages have doubled service life with a life extension of 5500 hours.

India operates Mirages in a semi-desert region while Taiwan operates in a marine environment, so they have different problems. Even if service life is high, Taiwan's Mirages need upgrades. They are already 26 years old.



So your assertion of Uttam being technologically backward is wrong, 'cause it will be used in future jets.

Israeli radar and EW suite will be replaced with Indian products from the third squadron onwards.

U remember Amardeep sharma from this or previous forum?
He said India will catch upto Israel in 4-5 years in electronics.
I guess we did it..
 
So your assertion of Uttam being technologically backward is wrong, 'cause it will be used in future jets.

Israeli radar and EW suite will be replaced with Indian products from the third squadron onwards.
Test it against Mig 29. Because that is the minimal threat level which LCA will face. Both adversaries are operating 4.5 Gen fighters.
 
Uttam on M2000 with Meteor integration was on the wishlist of not just fanboys but the IAF too. But I guess it died after they decided Meteor integration on M2000 was unrealistic. LCA Mk1A seems to have killed this plan.
Uttam shall allow integration of Astra 2(maybe Astra 3 too in-future!). Astra 2 will have 200kms+ range in a high and fast launch which M-2000 is very much capable of. So, we should pursue it despite MK1A.
 
We caught up with Israel and the West as of two years ago. We are only pending operationalizing what we have developed. It will happen in another 1-2 years.
We have access to absolute best EW/electronics tech from Israel/France/Russia. Our EW/electronics was always going to be a cut above the rest(with the aforementioned experience and then some...;) ).