The Republic of China Air Drive has confirmed plans to obtain ten C-130J transport plane from the US, whereas canceling a previous deliberate to improve program its C-130H transports procured within the mid-Nineties. The primary C-130H plane had entered service in 1984, with procurements persevering with into late-Nineties. Earlier than its cancellation, the “Taiwushan-3” improve program was meant to combine new cockpit interfaces, improve maritime search and rescue capabilities, add simulators, enhance international positioning and reporting methods, and set up security and collision-avoidance tools on the C-130H. Army officers have said that this displays a cost-based reassessment of how greatest to maintain and modernise the Air Drive’s airlift capabilities, as software program improve bills had been excessive, whereas life extension would require structural reinforcement of the airframes.
The C-130 is presently the heaviest army transport in manufacturing the US, with the a lot bigger C-17 and C-5 each being out of manufacturing. It’s dwarfed in measurement by the Russian Il-76, and moreso by the Chinese language Y-20 which is the biggest army transport in manufacturing worldwide. The C-130 is a pre-Vietnam Warfare period plane that noticed the majority of design work completed throughout the Korean Warfare, whereas being introduced into service from 1956, permitting it to participate in over a dozen conflicts. When operated by the CIA throughout the 1950 and Sixties the plane flew a number of provide runs to assist former Republic of China Armed Forces personnel based mostly in Myanmar, which had been conducting collection of protracted raids into Chinese language territory with the assist of CIA advisors and intelligence.
The C-130J is a complete replace of the C-130 design that first entered service in 1999, and built-in new engines, a brand new flight deck, and new avionics. The plane has served with 27 nations, though South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines are the one East Asian operators. The Republic of China Air Drive presently operates 19 C-130H plane, and intends to make use of a “high-low combine” operational mannequin, below which the C-130J fleet will probably be assigned extra demanding missions comparable to night time operations, whereas quite a lot of C-130H plane obtain extra restricted home upgrades for routine missions. The C-130J’s improved vary and payload, and its capability to function for shorter runways, are anticipated to be amongst its most prized attributes.
Taipei-based defence analyst Su Tzu-yun stated the C-130J’s digital cockpit and improved engines permit quicker and safer logistics operations, noting that pairing the plane with upgraded C-130H plane displays a extra systematic method to tools administration balancing operational functionality with sustainment calls for. Vital questions have nonetheless been raised concerning the wartime utility of a fleet of medium transport plane, for the reason that Republic of China Armed Forces’ bases are all inside very shut proximity of the Chinese language mainland, whereas the Folks’s Liberation Army (PLA), with which they continue to be in a state of civil struggle, leads the world in its lengthy vary anti-aircraft capabilities. The 40N6 missile deployed by S-400 air defence methods, for instance, has confirmed able to destroying excessive worth plane at excessive ranges of as much as 400 kilometres even at low altitudes, as demonstrated each in opposition to Ukraine and in Indian palms in opposition to Pakistan. The PL-17 air-to-air missile, in the meantime, supplies an excellent longer engagement vary and might equip over 400 of the PLA’s J-16 fighters.
Following a number of indications from U.S. President Donald Trump and different officers that Taipei is predicted to considerably enhance spending on American defence merchandise to proceed to take pleasure in Washington’s political and army assist, a surge in orders of apparatus from the late 2010s have made the Republic of China Ministry of Defence one of many largest purchasers for U.S.armaments. Main delays to U.S. arms provides have nonetheless brought about a significant scandal in Taipei, with backlogs having exceeded $21 billion by late 2025. The most important single order positioned, particularly one for 66 F-16 Block 70 fighters, has seen only a single fighter delivered, regardless of the US being obliged to ship all plane by 2027, fuelling calls in Taipei to take authorized motion. The Defence Ministry has been extremely constrained in its choices for defence procurements, with the Republic of China’s lack of worldwide recognition or diplomatic relations with all however twelve minor nations leaving most arms suppliers unwilling to provide tools.
