In a large hangar at the Chingchuankang airbase in Taichung, ringed by layers of tight security, stand three red, white and blue single-seated fighters and a camouflaged twin seater. They are prototypes of the IDF, the fighter that serve as the mainstay of the R.O.C. air force in the 1990s. Each plane is being busily checked and tested by a dozen or more technicians.
A few minutes later, the twin-seated 10004 prototype is pushed out of the hangar, and chief test pilot Col. Wu Kang-ming and another test pilot step into the cockpit. When everything is ready, Col. Wu closes the cockpit hatch and gives a thumbs-up sign to the ground crew. The IDF, carrying myriads of wires and sensors to measure flight data, takes off with a roar from its twin TFE-1042 turbofan jets engines. Escorting it on its flight for observation and testing is an F-5A Chung-cheng twin-seater, which looks rather small by comparison.
After a flight of a half hour or so, the IDF gracefully touches down and rolls slowly into the hangar, having completed yet another test mission. The technicians once again busily go over the entire plane and analyze the results of the data, as Col. Wu and the other pilot discuss their impressions of its takeoff, landing and handling.
Test flights like this are carried out four or five times a day to measure the IDF's capabilities with a view to refining the second-generation prototype now coming out of the factory.
The results of the tests and specifics of the plane's capabilities haven't been officially announced yet, but judged from the fact that the IDF has been test flown by nine air force commanders, including the chief of the general staff, it must have reached the stage of receiving the finishing touches.
With regard to the conjectures and surmises of the outside world, Su Tzu-chuan, who was responsible for designing and manufacturing the aircraft's engine, will only say, "The progress and results from May 1989, when we started test flights, have been just as we originally expected." But air force Commander-in-Chief Lin Wen-li reveals that the IDF will be deployed to the troops in three or four years.
Why did we want to develop our own fighter? Under what circumstances was work on it begun? To answer that we have to go back to the government's move to Taiwan, the balance of forces across the Taiwan Strait and the complex developments of international relations.
Our weapons systems have always been U.S. made, the air force's no exception, and before the Chinese Communists were able to produce their own fighters, we held superiority in the skies. In the battle of August 1958, for instance, our forces lost only one aircraft but shot down 31 enemy planes.
In the 1970s we began to have problems in trying to purchase advanced defensive weapons from the United States to maintain superiority in the skies. We actively lobbied to buy fighters like the F-4, F-16 and F-20 to replace the aging F-104s and F-5Es that make up the bulk of our air force, but to no avail.
Our channels to obtain advanced weapons systems became even more limited after the United States broke relations with the R.O.C. and signed the August 17 Communique with the Chinese Communists. It was in that context, in 1982, that the Executive Yuan decided we should research and develop a new type of fighter of our own while proceeding to update and replenish parts and weapons systems for our existing fighters, the most important of which were around 100 Lockheed F-104Gs and 250 Northrop F-5Es.
Since the F-104Gs were nearly 25 years old at the time and Lockheed had stopped making parts for them, the only way we could get parts was to buy old planes from countries like Japan and Italy. The F-5Es were made jointly by the U.S. and the R.O.C. but were nearly 10 years old at the time as well. They have been constantly improved by adding capabilities such as early warning radar and counter-interference systems to keep up their combat strength.
Looking ahead to the 1990s, the air force realized that its two mainstay fighters would be outmatched in terms of speed, weapons and performance by new warplanes developed by the Chinese Communists, such as the PLA F-8 Ⅱ fighter. That was why it set its sights on producing a home-built fighter to maintain air superiority over the Taiwan Strait. The plan to develop the IDF was approved by the Executive Yuan the same year and forwarded to the Aeronautical Industry Development Center for implementation.
Warplanes can't be perfect at everything. They are always designed with certain specific aims in mind. The A-10 used by the United States in the Gulf War, for instance, is designed for air-to-surface combat, the F-15 for night combat and the F-16 for air-to-air combat and interception.
So what kind of fighter should the IDF be? Looking at its requirements, the air force determined it needed a lightweight defensive interceptor with rapid climb similar to the F-16 to go up against the PLA F-8 Ⅱ or newer versions yet to come.
A fighter's capabilities can be evaluated according to its speed, maneuverability, weapons, and electronic equipment, but a fundamental factor in any case is the engines that provide its power.
The IDF is powered by two Garrett TFE-1042 turbofan jets, the research, testing and manufacturing of which was carried out completely in Taiwan.
According to Su Tzu-chuan, the engines have withstood tests as rigorous as operation at a simulated altitude of 60,000 meters, wind tunnel speeds of Mach 2.5, 12 hours of operation at minus 40 degrees centigrade and operation in blown sand as fierce as a Saharan sandstorm with results fully up to design requirements. They have also been used in more than 1,000 test flights.
The only question remaining is: can they make the IDF fly fast enough?
The IDF's performance limits are still top secret. But according to experts' estimates, the TFE-1042 engine can produce about 8,400 pounds of thrust, which would give the IDF a speed of Mach 1.2. That is not only slower than the Mach 2.2 of the PLA F-8 Ⅱ but also less than the speed of our F-104s and F-5Es.
Is Mach 1.2 tops? Word has it that the IDF has exceeded Mach 1.6 in test flights. "Wait until the engine is fully licensed, and you'll see better capabilities than you're seeing now," Su says, implying higher speeds to come.
As for whether the IDF will switch to new Garrett TFE-1088 engines with 12,000 pounds of thrust, as rumored, Su says that engines are constantly being improved and the one used in the finished version will certainly be better than the one used in the prototypes, but he adds that the IDF's speed has already reached the air force's minimum requirements.
Equally important to an airplane as speed is its maneuverability. The IDF uses a highly advanced fly-by-wire operating system that makes it far more maneuverable than the PLA F-8 Ⅱ, which is conventionally operated. So even though the Jian 8-Ⅰis much faster, the air force is confident the IDF can defeat it. As a safety backup, the operating system has four separate computers and runs normally as long as any one of them is still working.
"It does whatever you want," is how Col. Wu describes flying the IDF. He says pilots who fly conventional aircraft can scarcely imagine the feeling. "It's like a kid from a poor family trying to imagine what it's like to be rich." The ease of control allows the pilot to concentrate fully on combat.
The IDF is equipped with a Golden Dragon airborne radar system, an improved version of the APG-67 developed by General Electric for the F-20 which can simultaneously aim the plane's multihead Sky Sword I and Ⅱ air-to-air missiles at different targets.
The Sky Sword I and Ⅱ missiles are similar to the U.S.'s Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles. They have excellent computerized guidance systems, which can stand up to the most advanced counter electronics. The IDF is also armed with a 20 millimeter howitzer, for use in close-range combat.
Su Tzu-chuan sees the success of the IDF project as a symbol of the Aeronautical Industry Development Center's team spirit. Although the center's personnel had the experience of working on the AT-3 and F-5E, they didn't carry out the research and development for them on their own. American cooperation and consultants were also involved in the design of the IDF, but each stage of the project over nine years, from start to finish, was chiefly handled by our side. No similar example can be found anywhere.
Countries that want to manufacture their own warplanes invariably acquire most of the parts and designs from overseas to lower the time, money and risk involved. But because of constant setbacks in our military procurement efforts, we had to put everything on the line and develop the plane completely by ourselves. "It's the largest project the Chinese have ever cooperated on in history," says Hsing Yu-kuang, the factory manager responsible for the assembly of the IDF.
"If the IDF were exhibited here, 40 or 50 would be sold the very first day, I guarantee you." That's what a foreign aerospace expert told Su Tzu-chuan two years ago at the Paris Air Show.
No matter how much truth there may have been to that remark, when compared with the setbacks encountered recently with planes such as the Swedish JAS 3A, the Israeli Lavi and the French Rafale in countries with advanced aerospace industries, the performance of the IDF has really made people sit up and take note.
"In fact, several countries have already asked about buying planes from us," Su says proudly.
Besides the four prototypes already produced, a second generation IDF is taking shape, and mass production is just around the corner. How rapidly the planes can be produced is still a military secret, but reliable sources estimate the total number could reach 250 in three years.
The needs of the air force for the 1990s will soon be satisfied. What about its needs for the year 2000 and beyond? Su says the personnel at the Aeronautical Industry Development Center aren't resting on their laurels. "We're ready to do whatever the air force tells us," he says confidently.
[Picture Caption]
These are three of the four existing prototypes of the IDF, which is about to go into mass production.
No. 10001 was the first fighter designed and manufactured in the R.O.C. (photo courtesy of air force general headquarters)
The IDF is armed with Sky Sword missiles. (photo from Sinorama files)
Col. Wu Kang-ming was the first pilot to test fly the new plane.
Chinese pilots have all been itching to try out the new fighter. The stars on the fuselage stand for each general that has test flown it.
The IDF features an advanced fly-by-wire control system to increase its maneuverability.
In addition to serving as a mainstay of our defenses, the IDF has also given a boost to our aerospace industry.
Advanced electronics are the plane's greatest asset.
No. 10001 was the first fighter designed and manufactured in the R.O.C. （photo courtesy of air force general headquarters）
The IDF is armed with Sky Sword missiles. （photo from Sinorama files）
Col. Wu Kang-ming was the first pilot to test fly the new plane.
Chinese pilots have all been itching to try out the new fighter. The stars on the fuselage stand for each general that has test flown it.
The IDF features an advanced fly-by-wire control system to increase its maneuverability.
Advanced electronics are the plane's greatest asset.
In addition to serving as a mainstay of our defenses, the IDF has also given a boost to our aerospace industry.
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