Taiwan Redeploys Ageing Mirage 2000 Jets Amid Ongoing Tensions with China

The Taiwanese Air Force, officially the Republic of China Air Force, has redeployed its small fleet of 56 Mirage 2000 lightweight fourth generation fighter jet to the Taichung/Ching Chuan Kang airbase in the territory’s far north - one of the closest military facilities to the Chinese mainland. This comes amid rising tensions between Taipei and the Chinese mainland, which have been technically at war for over 70 years. Hsinchu airbase where the Mirages were previously located will be temporarily closed for renovation - with speculation that it will benefit from additional hardening. Taichung/Ching Chuan Kang airbase is currently home to a squadron of Taiwan’s 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, which operates indigenous F-CK Ching Kuo light fighters.

The Mirage 2000 is considered Taiwan’s least capable class of fighter jet and suffers from excessive operational costs, a very high crash rate, cracks in the airframe and other issues related to a low manufacturing quality. The aircraft were manufactured in France, and purchased in the 1990s. Taiwanese F-16A, Ching Kuo and even older F-5E fighters have proven far more reliable and all have the benefit of access to more modern classes of munitions such as the AIM-120C AMRAAM for the F-16 and the Sky Sword II for the Ching Kuo and F-5. The Mirage’s much shorter ranged French build MICA missiles leaves that at a significant range disadvantage against both other Taiwanese classes of fighters as well as those in Chinese service across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s air force has a repeatedly indicated that it intends to retire the Mirage 2000 - with the service set to receive 66 new F-16V fighters as well as indigenous Brave Eagle fighters. These designs represent more modern and capable successors the F-16A and Ching Kuo respectively.