Taiwan may Lease F-15s

The potential deal is a win-win for both parties as America is unwilling to sell the Eagle to Taiwan and the latter might not be able to afford buying new F-15s in large quantities.

The proposal is to lease aircraft that still have half of their lifespan remaining and upgrade them with new mission computers and fire control radars.

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upmedia.mg...

That is interesting. What's equally interesting is the offer of the F/A-18 instead. I suspect they are electric bug, but that'd be...not so brilliant. They are in bad condition already and the Marines need every last one for parts. They MIGHT be Rhinos, but I'd have doubt about that.

It'd not be up to dealing with the J-20, but still might be useful against the other fighters.

a reply to: anzha

We are being watched.

www.thedrive.com...

a reply to: anzha

wouldn't be surprised if the aviation forum is watched by less astute aviation enthusiasts for ideas and occasionally pilfered.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

There have been a number of articles that followed what we've posted here. Pretty frequently recently, BP. Too frequently recently.

a reply to: anzha

yeah I've noticed that. but as you've probably deduced I'm not a fan of certain aviation bloggers (present company excluded) for several reasons. that being one of them.

anyways back to the f15 leasing. do you think that with the right configurations and support an f15 might be more than a match for the contemporary rivals out there.

a reply to: BASSPLYR
Or worse...Reporters.......

a reply to: BASSPLYR

I think that the F-15s would greatly improve Taiwan's capabilities. Enough so that China would have to double down on their spending plans for the arm twisting to get Taiwan to come back to the fold. It's one thing when its the F-16A as Taiwan's premier fighter. Its entirely another when it's the F-15.

If Taiwan can get that AND the AV-8B, then it might just cause the Chinese to have to increase their defense spending a lot.

It's in the US interests to make Taiwan as tough a nut to crack as possible, but not trigger the Chinese to make the leap. Likewise, it's in the US interest to prevent Taiwan from declaring independence to prevent the Chinese from launching that war. Taiwan can be a useful thorn, but it shouldn't become one that must be dealt with immediately. It just can't be ignored.

Please remember: the Chinese leader that brings Taiwan back into the fold will be considered a huge name in Chinese history.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Surprised anyone remembers I blog. ;P

a reply to: anzha

I do you mentioned something about pgs one time that I enjoyed

a reply to: anzha

I couldn't agree more with the strategy and considerations with using Taiwan as a thorn.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

rattle. rattle. rattle.

www.reuters.com...

a reply to: anzha

Taiwan cannot hope to defend their own airspace against a Chinese attack, with or without two, three dozen F-15s.
The PLAAF will always be able to field two or three times the number of modern fighter jets the ROCAF would able to commit to the defense of Taiwan.
Not that it matters. If it ever comes to war, China will quickly destroy most Taiwanese airbases with ballistic missiles.
Taiwan has only very few modern air defense systems and the PAC-3s wont be enough to defend against a Chinese bombardment.
Introducing VTOLs like the Harrier or the F-35B wouldnt solve this problem either, they'd lose the numbers game anyway.

Instead of wasting their limited funds in an arms race they cannot hope to win, they should focus on areas where they can beat the Chinese and actually defend against an invasion of Taiwanese isles or the main island itself.
More and better armed missile boats, preferably with supersonic or LO AShMs. Western built modern SSKs if they can get them. Their main focus should actually be on the Army. It would be incredible bloody for China to mount an amphibious assault against a mechanized, but well fortified force.

Unfortunately Taiwan is in the process of abolishing conscription at this time which is a serious error. They need the opposite, build up their numbers and implement a robust reserve and mobilization system. There are 20.000.000 Taiwanese, more than 5 million capable of military service. Building up an ground arm with more than 1 million under arms fully mobilized is entirely possible and would effectively make an invasion impossible.

But of course they chose to prioritize the Navy and Air Force over the Army which is a losing strategy against China.

a reply to: mightmight

The point is to make Taiwan a harder nut to crack, not an impossible one. Just force the Chinese to increase their defense spending more.

F-15 story might be pure bunk:

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