Air Force F-16V Auto-GCAS: Software in July, Hardware in September

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 25. Since pilot Xin Boyi went missing during a night training flight on January 6, lawmakers have been concerned about the progress of installing the 'Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System' (Auto-GCAS) on F-16V (Block 20) fighters. Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Li Qingran stated in response that software will be installed in July this year, hardware will be phased in starting in September, and the entire project will conclude in 2028. The Legislative Yuan's Finance, Foreign Affairs, and National Defense Committees held a joint meeting this morning to review the 'Special Budget for National Security Defense and Asymmetric Combat Capability Enhancement.' Following the disappearance of pilot Xin Boyi, KMT lawmaker Lin Defu inquired about the Auto-GCAS installation progress. Lieutenant General Li Qingran confirmed the timeline. In a previous inquiry on January 8, Li explained that while the newly purchased 66 F-16V (Block 70) jets come with the system as standard, the existing Block 20 jets have not yet been equipped because they use analog flight control systems, similar to U.S. F-16C/D (Block 25/30) jets. Taiwan is conducting a synchronized digital integration upgrade. Because this system must take over flight control from the pilot, it is highly complex and risky, requiring rigorous integration of many systems, which is why it has taken so much time.