AIDC F-CK-1 Ching Kuo fighters are made in Taiwan with the assistance of the US. The program began when the United States refused to sell F-20 Tigershark and F-16 Fighting Falcon to the Republic of China (Taiwan) after the pressure on the United States from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan therefore decided to develop its own fighter aircraft. IDF fighter jet project was designed and built by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) based in Taichung, Taiwan, with the help of American defense firms.
The IDF is equipped with a GD-53 Golden Dragon multi-mode monopulse Pulse-Doppler radar, which is based on the General Electric AN/APG-67 X band radar developed for the F-20 while sharing some components and technologies of the AN/APG-66 radar of the F-16A, and using a larger antenna than used by the F-20 and this adaptation resulted in the look-down and shoot-down capability of GD-53 being greatly enhanced in comparison to that of the original AN/APG-67, reaching that of the AN/APG-66. The radar can simultaneously track 10 targets and engage two of the 10 targets tracked with TC-2 active radar seeker BVRAAMs.
Specifications:
Crew: 1 men
Length: 14.21 m
Wing span: 8.53 m
Height: 4.65 m
Weight (empty): 6.48 t
Weight (maximum take off): 12.2 t
Engines: 2 x ITEC TFE-1042-70 furbofans
Traction (dry / with afterburning): 2 x 26.8 / 42.08 kN
Maximum speed: 1 275 km/h
Service ceiling: 16.8 km
Armament
Cannon: 1 x 20-mm M61A1 cannon
Missiles: AIM-9P air-to-air missile, Thien Chien I/II air-to-air missiles, Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles
Bombs: Mk 80-series bombs, laser-guided bombs, cluster munitions
