
AI-generated summary
Air Force Chief of Staff Li Qingran pointed out in the Legislative Yuan that the maintenance cost of the Mirage fighter is higher than that of the F-16V, exceeding one million yuan per hour, while the F-16V is about 780,000 yuan. Professor Ye Yaoyuan believes that despite the high cost of maintaining fighter aircraft, Taiwan must maintain hard power to deter the Chinese Communist Party’s military actions.
The Mirage fighter aircraft transferred to the Hualien base with an air superiority mount. (File photo)
According to media reports, Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Li Qingran mentioned in the Legislative Yuan yesterday (12th) that the maintenance cost of the Phantom fighter is higher than that of the F-16V fighter. As for whether the Phantom fighter will be gradually retired, the time has not been specified. In this regard, Ye Yaoyuan, chair professor of international studies at the University of St. Thomas in the United States, said that operating fighter jets is very expensive, but Taiwan must have hard power to deter the CCP from military operations against Taiwan.
Ye Yaoyuan forwarded a media report on the Facebook fan page "Professor Ye's School of International Affairs" today, which mentioned that "Chief of Staff of the Air Force Li Qingran pointed out in the Legislative Yuan on the 12th that the maintenance cost of the Phantom fighter is indeed higher than that of the F-16V fighter. The average maintenance cost of the F-16V fighter is about 780,000 yuan per hour, while the maintenance cost of the Phantom fighter is more than 100 yuan." Ten thousand yuan; and revealed that the Air Force holds two meetings with the French every year, paying special attention to the issue of disappearing business sources. As for whether the Phantom fighter will be gradually retired, Li Qingran did not propose a clear timetable. He only said that the performance of the Phantom two-seat aircraft has been improved and will continue to be reviewed and adjusted in the future depending on fleet operation, maintenance support and related conditions."
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Ye Yaoyuan sighed, "To be honest, I don't quite know what this news is about. Is it to say that the operational cost of the F16 is cheaper than that of the Phantom, or is it to say that 'fighters are expensive'."
Changing the topic, Ye Yaoyuan emphasized, "The operation of fighter planes is inherently expensive, but Taiwan must have these hard powers to deter the Chinese Communist Party's military actions against Taiwan. And it is very expensive now because the People's Liberation Army harasses our country's air defense identification zone and the central line of the Taiwan Strait every day."
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AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Mirage will remain in service for the next few years until the performance enhancement program is completed and alternatives are evaluated.
Likely · Within years

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