In order to arm Taiwan, the United States has made great efforts this time, and it does not hesitate to come up with the "technology of pressing the bottom of the box" and shouting to the mainland: It vows to compete with the PLA in the field of electronic warfare!
In recent years, as tensions in the Taiwan Strait continue to rise, Chinese mainland's countermeasures against Taiwan have become more intense. In particular, the frequency and scale of the PLA's recent operations around Taiwan have undoubtedly pushed this tense situation to a new climax.
(Illustration: Taiwan has begun to practice how to escape in wartime)
According to reports, 23 PLA military planes and five warships carried out the so-called "encirclement on all sides" of the Taiwan island. What attracts even more attention is that 20 sorties of military planes crossed the "center line of the strait," which Taiwan claims to be.
In other words, in a short period of seven days, the PLA sent 141 sorties of military aircraft into the Taiwan Strait, and this intensive military activity not only demonstrated the mainland's firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also caused unprecedented psychological pressure on the island.
For a time, the alarm bell on Taiwan Island rang loudly, almost from morning to night.
It is worth mentioning that such a large-scale exercise around the island has finally allowed the Taiwan military to "show its timidity" and for the first time clearly rank the content of the escape drill in the first place.
According to the Taiwan military, the "Han Kuang" exercise, which will be launched on 22 July this year, will focus on how to help Taiwan's high-ranking officials escape in wartime.
It has been learned that the Taiwan side has already envisaged a number of escape routes, including using the "Clouded Leopard" armored vehicle to go to the United States to write a meeting in Taiwan, and then taking a Black Hawk helicopter to the US mainland, or taking a "Clouded Leopard" to escape to Japan by submarine from the Gongliao Fishing Port in Taipei City.
Based on this alone, it is not difficult to see that although the Taiwan side does not want to admit the difference in strength between the two sides of the strait, it is also well aware of it.
(Illustration: The F-16 is equipped with the "Pit Viper Shield" electronic warfare system, and has completed several rounds of testing)
In the face of military pressure from the PLA, the United States, as one of Taiwan's main military supporters, made an important decision, that is, to comprehensively upgrade F-16 fighter jets.
It is reported that the content of this upgrade mainly revolves around the addition of the "Pit Viper Shield" electronic warfare system to enhance its possible electronic countermeasures in the future.
As we know, the Taiwan Air Force has purchased and put into service hundreds of US F-16A/B fighters since the end of the last century. However, with the frequent exercises of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in recent years to encircle the island and the upgrading of advanced equipment, Taiwan's existing military strength has become overstretched.
In response to this challenge, the United States and Taiwan have jointly implemented the "Fengzhan Project", which aims to upgrade the F-16A/B fighter jet to a more advanced version of the F-16V. During this period, Taiwan also established a special F-16 fighter repair and maintenance center.
Now, the US Lockheed Martin Corporation has once again announced that it plans to equip the F-16 with the "Viper Shield" electronic warfare system, which is undoubtedly another major enhancement of the combat effectiveness of Taiwan's air force.
This system can not only endow old fighters with the electronic warfare capability of sixth-generation fighters, but also greatly enhance the ability of battlefield intelligence collection and electronic countermeasures by enhancing the radar reconnaissance range and accurately classifying signals.
So far, the "Viper Shield" electronic warfare system has passed three relevant tests, and deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
(Illustration: China's main electronic warfare fighter J-16D, the United States upgraded the F-16, just to compete with China for electromagnetic rights)
In the view of the United States and Taiwan, with the support of the "Viper Shield" electronic warfare system, the F-16 electronic warfare capability of the Taiwan military will be greatly enhanced, and it will even have the ability to seize electromagnetic power with the PLA.
In modern warfare, whoever can control the information and electromagnetic space will be able to occupy the initiative on the battlefield. The United States and its allies know very well that competition for electromagnetic power is critical to maintaining regional stability and securing military superiority.
Therefore, the United States' constant "arming" of Taiwan is an attempt to build an electronic line of defense in the Pacific region to ensure that it will maintain its competitive advantage over electromagnetic power in any conflict that may occur in the future.
Against this background, Taiwan has undoubtedly become the forefront of the Sino-US contest in the field of electronic countermeasures.