Aircraft

Taiwan's AIDC hopes to deliver production examples of enhanced C/D variant aircraft after successful test sortie

Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has begun flight testing the upgraded C/D version of its Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF). The first of two new prototypes flew for the first time last month, and AIDC plans to build new aircraft as well as upgrade half of Taiwan's fleet of A/B-model IDFs.

Production of the F-CK-1A/B Ching-Kuo ended in 1999, after 130 aircraft, and in 2001 AIDC launched development of the C/D Shaing-Seng. Improvements include increased internal fuel, strengthened landing gear, expanded weapons, and upgraded radar, head-up display, mission computer, electronic counter-countermeasures and electronic warfare systems. Take-off distance has also been reduced.

A key element of the upgrade is a new BAE Systems digital flight-control computer, which increases processing capacity for future fly-by-wire modes, including terrain following. BAE's IDF programme manager Albert Lin says the PowerPC-based 32-bit computer is the fourth generation in the IDF, and replaces the 1750-standard 16-bit computer in the A/B.

The IDF has a triplex digital fly-by-wire (FBW) system, and the computer upgrade in the C/D eliminates the need for the triple-redundant analogue back-up flight control system used in the legacy fleet. The analogue system provides good handling qualities in the A/B. "Pilots liked the back-up better than the digital initially," says Lin.

The original FBW system was developed by the BAE unit when it was part of Lockheed Martin, which assisted AIDC in designing the IDF. Development of the C/D FBW system and its control laws is AIDC's responsibility, Lin says, with BAE supplying the hardware - beginning with six computers for the two prototypes.

AIDC is working to secure funding in next year's Taiwanese defence budget to begin production of the C/D in 2008.