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Taiwan Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation
F-CK-1 Ching-kuo
Taiwan's indigenously developed light multirole fighter, created after the United States restricted sale of more advanced jets in the 1980s. Named for President Chiang Ching-kuo, it forms a core part of Taiwan's air-defense fleet alongside imported F-16s and Mirage 2000s.
In service since 1994 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,274
km/h
1,100
km range
16,800
m ceiling
3,900
kg payload
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Taiwan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 1994. Status: active · ~131 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,274 km/h Bottom 10% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.8 Mach Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,100 km Bottom 2% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 16,800 m Stronger than 49% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 7 Stronger than 17% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 3,900 kg Stronger than 15% of fighters
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 14.21 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 9.46 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 6,493 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 9,526 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2× Honeywell/ITEC F125 turbofan
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 42 kN Bottom 3% of fighters
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- GD-53 (derived from AN/APG-67)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 131 Stronger than 32% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo has a maximum speed of 1,274 km/h.
What is the range of the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo has a maximum range of 1,100 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo can carry up to 3,900 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo weigh? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo has a combat weight of 9,526 kg.
How many crew does the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo require? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon.
What engine does the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo use? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo is powered by the 2× Honeywell/ITEC F125 turbofan.
What is the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo used for? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo? +
The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation F-CK-1 Ching-kuo is operated by 1 countries.
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