Taiwan wants to evaluate whether the service life of several of its Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighters can be extended by many years, for strategic reasons and to mitigate the consequences of the delayed entry into service of the F-16V.
According to the Focus Taiwan news agency, the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) announced that it has turned to French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation to help it evaluate the possibility of extending the service life of nine of its two-seat Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters.
Taiwan acquired a fleet of 60 Mirage fighters starting in 1997, and they are now entering an advanced stage of their life cycle, negatively impacting the fleet’s operating costs, as the cost of maintaining and repairing these fighters exceeds that of other aircraft used by the Air Force.
The ROCAF reported that it contracted Dassault (the original manufacturer of the model) for $4.77 million to evaluate whether nine of its Mirage two-seater aircraft could continue to serve Taiwan for another 20 years. The evaluation should be completed by July 2026.
According to a military source, Taiwan wants to extend the service life of some of the two-seaters in part because they can be used for both regular combat mission deployments and new recruit training sessions, giving ROCAF some flexibility.
See also: Taiwan seeks to buy 100 HARM anti-radar missiles and 200 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles
Waiting for the F-16V
Taiwan purchased 66 new F-16V fighters from the United States, but doubts remain as to whether they can be delivered on time, as the first deliveries were due to begin by the end of the year, but Lockheed Martin reported that the first aircraft will be arriving on the island during the third quarter of 2024.
If Taiwan were to retire its entire Mirage-2000-5 fleet without the support of a sufficient number of U.S. F-16V fighters, it could leave a gap in the air defense network that is very dangerous. That is why the ROCAF is evaluating keeping some of its French fighters operational.
