AIDC Ching-Kuo

Looks suspiciously like a McDonnell-Douglas FA-18 with a single tail fin.

reply

Worked on this project on the Arresting Hook System at Jensen-Kelly Corporation as the Program Manager. Design & Build Project. GD taught the Taiwanese how to design /build because the US was afraid to sell them F-16's. Program died a few years later after we sold the F-16's anyway.

reply

I worked on this program as a Garrett employee from Sept 1987 to July 1991. I was responsible for the aircraft secondary power system.I made many trips to Taiwan working closely with AIDC counterparts. I consider this time to be the high-lite of my engineering career.

reply

1) I worked for General Dynamics and spent 9 years on the IDF program, 3 1 /2 years of it in Taiwan as an avionics engineer. No one company was in charge of or provided an avionics package --- Lear Seigler or anyone else. (Perhaps on the AT-3 program)?

2) The IDF initially was integrated with AIM-9P IR AA missiles. Because we (US) would not allow BVR missiles to be sold to Taiwan they developed their own (Tien Chien 2). They also developed their own IR missile,Tien Chien 1. The ironic thing about the program was that the (first) Bush administration would not sell Taiwan F-16s at the outset, they went ahaed and did so in the early 90's after production of the IDF was underway. Taiwan bought a bunch of the F-16's as well as French Mirages. Taiwan had also built a bunch of F-5's under license in earlier years but never deployed them. I saw them at the Hualien airport.

reply

I`m curious Cody
Why would trademarks aply to weapons of war. I dont think any nation cares about the tradmarks of another, especially if they end up in a fight

reply

I'm an only child,and I'm 36. Which I think by law says I have to ween myself off of immediate relatives,and graduate to cousins(had I siblings in the first place....naturaly). If General Dynamics signed off on it???....then I am completely cool with it.Wouldn't they have had to clear it with Mickey-D's as well for the F-18 bits??? You know what.....never mind....just disregard every thing I've said.......I need to learn to REEED!!! I'm just gonna go F^*# OFF now.

reply

There's no theft of design going on. The US State dept. says no to any advanced weapons purchases but GD will help you build something nice. You'll notice the missiles are probably semi-active homers, so yesterday. How's yur sister, Tex?

reply

Now if you'll excuse me.....I have to go sleep with my sister.

reply

Ooof,Your breakin' my heart Leo. I considered you to be one of the most logical and intelligent people posting here.Is a Mig-15 a copy of an Me-262??? No! But it has a swept wing?? Yep,but the Mig was simply the next "evolution there of", not the flat out "theft there of". As soon as I am KING,here's what I'd suggest.....you want to buy someones F-16....but can't afford it?? Then you say to them "How about I give you a fat chunk of money for the rights to take your intellectual property and hack it up into something that better suits my needs??".And if you don't,then the host nation should have the option of sanctioning the ever lovin' shit out of you or send over a few of the "original property" to render the afore mentioned "bastardized versions" into many,many small useless pieces.To be totally honest....I really wasn't thinking of it that way....but your wrong...China is not financing our wars! They bought in to "America", what we do with the money is our own business,but all the better reason to let them know that now.....we don't owe them quite as much as they have receipts for!!!!!!!!!!!! That's not to mention the Trillions and Trillions of dollars a year they make off of ignoring International Patent Laws!! But then again....I'm just a dumb ass American,what do you expect from a redneck in Texas??

reply

Actually, Taiwan wanted to buy American but the State Department said no because China is financing American wars.

reply

Only Germans are allowed to build swept wings and Deltas. Reggie Mitchell stole the spitfire wing from heinkel. Only the wrights can build 3-axis controls. When you become King of the World, Cody302, I expect you'll make it all right, Wright? And SkySword missiles look like copies too.

reply

Yes,I have a comment about this aircraft!! Why is this crap permited?......why is it allowed,that other countries can blatantly steal and /or bastardize designs-research-development of other countries?? I'm not talking about this one looks like this one,or, you made yours look just like mine.....I mean period.

reply

Part F-16, part F-18, I prefer the F-16 canopy. The use of a single fin with no ventral finnery begs a question of stability and control authority in high alpha. Can this craft be cranked high AOA without frisbeeing into the mouth of the running dog?

reply

Hi,

I like this plane, and I have some info's regarding:
Powerplant: two 42.08 kN (9,460 lb st) ITEC (Garrett /AIDC) TFE1042-70 (F125) afterburning turbofans (some sources state 41.1 others 42.3 KN)
Dimensions: length 15.98m (46 ft 7¾ in); height 4.72m (15 ft 6 in); wing span 9.42m (30 ft 10¼ in); wing area 24.20 m² (260 sq ft)
Weights: empty 6486 kg (14,300 lb); Max Take-Off Weight 9.526 kg (21,000 lb)
Performance: max level speed 'clean' at level, estimated, Mach 1.2 or 1275 km /h (792 mph), although some sources report a max speed of Mach 1.04 at low and Mach 1.65 at high altitude. service ceiling estimated 16,760m (55,000 ft)
Armament: one M61A1 Vulcan 20mm multi-barrel cannon; up tp kg (,000 lb) of ordnance, including AGM-65 Maverick, Hsing Feng (Male Bee) II AShM, free fall bombs, cluster bombs, rocket pods, Tien Chien (Sky Sword) I /II AAMs, and /or up to three auxiliary fuel tanks carried on four underwing, two wingtip and one or alternatively two fuselage stations.

Stefan

reply