France's SOGITEC won the bid for the Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter simulator committee revision project, with the contract performance period until 2031

The Air Force's Mirage 2000 fighter jets play an important role in maintaining northern Taiwan's air defense. (File photo)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Reporting from Taipei] The Air Force's Mirage 2000 fighter jets continue to shoulder the important task of air defense across the Taiwan Strait and maintain proper training equipment for pilots. According to the latest bid announcement from the Ministry of National Defense, the Air Force spent NT$466.1 million for "fighter simulator maintenance". The French company SOGITEC Industries won the bid. The contract is expected to be fulfilled from October this year to the end of September 2031, a total of five years, allowing the energy of phantom pilot simulation training to continue.

According to public information on the Government Procurement Network, the budget for this "simulator repair" project is more than 472.43 million yuan. The bid was awarded on September 15. SOGITEC finally obtained the contract for more than 466.1 million yuan. The performance period is from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2031. The bid is classified as a procurement that is "sensitive or has national security concerns" and involves national security.

SOGITEC is a professional aviation simulation manufacturer under the French Dassault Group. The official website of the Dassault Group directly lists Taiwan as a country for using the SOGITEC Phantom 2000 simulator. SOGITEC's business covers flight simulators, image generation, geographical databases, instructor stations, networked simulations, and follow-up maintenance services.

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The Chinese Air Force purchased 60 Mirage 2000-5 fighters from France in 1992, and they have been in service since 1997. They have been in service for nearly 30 years, and 53 of them are still in existence. They are still concentrated at the Hsinchu base and are operated by the Air Force's Second Tactical Fighter Wing. They are the main air defense force in the north. The Mirage 2000-5 fighter is mainly responsible for air control and interception missions. With its delta wing configuration, the climb performance of the M53-P2 engine, and the Mica medium-range and Magic II short-range air-to-air missiles, it can quickly take off to intercept air targets.