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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese aircraft maker Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. said July 12 that it had forged an agreement with U.S. aerospace firm Lockheed Martin to get a piece of the island’s $5.85 billion fighter upgrade deal.
AIDC and Lockheed Martin signed a memorandum of understanding on July 11 at Britain’s Farnborough International Airshow, according to a statement released by AIDC.
AIDC attaches great importance to the biggest F-16 upgrade project to be obtained by Lockheed Martin, it said.
Details of the proposed subcontracts from Lockheed Martin have not been finalized, an AIDC official said.
Taiwan’s defense ministry has said that the upgrade, which will take 12 years to complete, would give its 146 F-16 A/Bs a significant boost.
The jets will be equipped with radar capable of detecting Chinese stealth aircraft and may also be armed with precision munitions, according to the ministry.
