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F-35 fighter Image: Inverted by Lockheed Martin
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have risen recently, and the continued disruption of Taiwan by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army this year has also drawn the attention of the outside world. Recently, some foreign media pointed out that the United States recently sent high-level officials to Taiwan for the first time since the breakdown of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, greatly improving the relationship between the two sides. But for relations between Taiwan and the United States, the United States needs to make greater commitments, and the key to this commitment is likely to be in providing F-35 stealth fighters to Taiwan.
According to a recent Newsweek report, the United States is currently restricting the sale of these fighter jets to Taiwan. There are two concerns about the flight capacity of the Taiwan Air Force and the response of the Chinese government. The first is a technical problem, which can be solved by training Taiwanese pilots in the United States and placing the F-35s on hold until the emergency situation is transferred to Taiwan; while the second is a political problem. If a US F-35 reserve force is owned or leased to Taiwan, the force will have the ability to negotiate with China.
The report stated that Taiwan does not currently have a stealth aircraft, and Taipei’s 140 old F-16 jets are being upgraded. In the future, 66 more modern F-16V (Viper) jet aircraft will be purchased. The functions are smaller.
However, the Viper upgrade plan has been slightly delayed and will not be delivered until 2026, which equates to Taiwan’s reliance on aging aircraft in the face of threats over the next five years; but if the plan goes as planned the program is complete and Taiwan will have 50 upgraded F-16s by the end of this year. Since Taiwan spends a lot of money on upgrading and purchasing new aircraft, the lease of the F-35 will also be economically important.
The F-35B is the world’s first stealth aircraft capable of short-haul supersonic take-off and vertical landing. It is very suitable for Taiwan, which needs to operate short-distance take-off and landing aircraft on roads and runways, and it has enough capacity to protect the scope of Taiwan. The report noted that if the F-35B is rented to the United States when conflict breaks out, both the United States and Taiwan will gain advantages. However, making a dedicated F-35 fleet to support the United States in Taiwan will still test the courage of the United States and Taiwan.
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have risen recently, and the continued disruption of Taiwan by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army this year has also drawn the attention of the outside world.
Recently, some foreign media pointed out that the United States recently sent high-level officials to Taiwan for the first time since the breakdown of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, greatly improving the relationship between the two sides.
But for relations between Taiwan and the United States, the United States needs to make greater commitments, and the key to this commitment is likely to be in providing F-35 stealth fighters to Taiwan.
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