Aidc F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo
The AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo is Taiwan’s indigenous multirole fighter, developed after export restrictions made it difficult to buy more advanced foreign aircraft. Its design combines a compact F-16-like planform with two small Taiwanese-American TFE1042 engines. The aircraft was named after Chiang Ching-kuo, Taiwan’s former president, and entered service in the 1990s. Upgraded versions carry modern radar and air-to-air missiles, keeping a locally built fighter in Taiwan’s air-defence inventory.
Did you know?
Taiwan built the F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo itself after export restrictions blocked purchases of more advanced foreign fighters.
Specifications
| Length | 14.5 m (48 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Height | 4.4 m (15 ft) |
| Persons on board | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 12.2 t |
| Range | 600 NM (1,111 km) |
| Maximum speed | 700 kt (1,296 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 55,000 ft (16,764 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 41,000 ft (12,497 m) |
| Rate of climb | 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s) |
| Engines | 2x TFE1042-70 |
| Units built | 137 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Aidc F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Aidc, the F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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