Taiwan is scheduled to receive 150 Block 20 F-16A/Bs.
Development of the F-16 jumped from Block 15 to Block 25 when
the F-16C/D first appeared, and the term Block 20 was created
retroactively.
These planes are built to essentially the same standards as the
European Block 15 MLU planes, and it is possible that Lockheed
Fort Worth may eventually refer to all MLU aircraft as Block 20.
Although Taiwanese F-16s will have the AN/APG-66(V)2 radar, they
will have a different IFF system. Taiwan selected the
Raytheon AN/ALQ-183 electronic countermeasures pod rather than
the Westinghouse AN/ALQ-131.
Serial Numbers of Block 20 F-16A/B
93-702/821 Lockheed F-16A Block 20 Fighting Falcon
c/n TA-1/120
To Taiwan as 6601/6720
93-822/851 Lockheed F-16B Block 20 Fighting Falcon
c/n TB-1/30
To Taiwan as 6801/6830
Sources:
-
Combat Aircraft F-16, Doug Richardson, Crescent, 1992.
-
General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors, John Wegg,
Naval Institute Press, 1990.
-
The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers,
Orion, 1987.
-
United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough
and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
-
F-16 Fighting Falcon--A Major Review of the West's Universal
Warplane, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Spring 1991.
-
The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery, 1989.
-
Modern Military Aircraft--F-16 Viper, Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal
Publications, 1992.
-
Lockheed F-16 Variants, Part 1, World Airpower Journal, Volume 21,
Summer 1995.
-
Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 40 and Beyond, Bill Sweetman, World AirPower Journal, Vol 36,
Spring 1999