Newly commissioned F-16Vs perform ‘elephant walk’ at Chiayi base
Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA)
Taiwan’s newly-commissioned F-16Vs
performed an “elephant walk” at Chiayi Air Base for the first time on Wednesday,
to demonstrate the Air Force’s capability to launch combat-ready fighters at a moment’s notice.
During the exercise,
a total of 12 F-16Vs lined up down the runway for a public demonstration open to members of the media.The 12 fighters were part of the newly-commissioned F-16V combat squadron
listed under the Air Force’s 4th Tactical Fighter Wing based in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, in November 2021.
The F-16Vs are former F-16A/Bs upgraded as part of a program launched by the Air Force in 2016.
The program included the retrofitting of 141 F-16 A/Bs into F-16Vs,
which are equipped with more advanced avionics,
including APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar,
a Helmet Mounted Cueing System,
and other flight management
and electronic warfare systems.
According to the Air Force,
an “elephant walk”is a U.S. Air Force term for the taxiing of military aircraft right before takeoff, when they are in close formation.
the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)
the JHMCS provides the pilot with “first look, first shoot” high off-boresight weapons engagement capabilities.
The system enables the pilot to acquire
critical information, such as targeting cues and aircraft performance parameters displayed directly on the pilot’s visor,
without the need to check the Head-Up Display (HUD) as they used to, Yen said.
According to the Air Force,
a high-tech helmet installed with the cutting edge system costs NT$10 million (US$362,233).CNA