US to help upgrade Taiwan's F-16 fleet

On the evening of September 21, Taiwan said the US had agreed to help upgrade the island's F-16 fighter jets.

The Pentagon announced the same day that the upgrade program is worth a total of $5.85 billion and will include equipment, components, training and logistics support.

The US move, announced simultaneously by Taiwan's Defense and Foreign Ministries, comes amid concerns among many in Taiwan that the balance of power between the island and mainland China is increasingly tilting in Beijing's favor.

In a hastily arranged press conference in Taipei, Taiwan's Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu said: "After this upgrade, the combat capabilities of Taiwan's air force will be significantly improved."

According to the Pentagon, Taiwanese pilots will arrive at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona to train in "disaster relief missions, non-combatant evacuation operations and other contingencies."

The US decision ended months of speculation about the extent to which Washington would help Taiwan modernize its air force./.

(According to Vietnam+)