TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Air Force will complete fitting its F-16 jets with automatic ground collision avoidance systems in 2028, reports said Wednesday.

The news followed a report that on Monday a pilot lost consciousness during training due to G-forces, though the Air Force denied the same officer had experienced the same condition before, the Liberty Times reported. Following calls on his radio, he recovered in time to regain control of his aircraft before an accident happened.

Adding the collision avoidance system to F-16 planes is part of an ongoing upgrade of the jets, the Air Force said. The 66 F-16V jets Taiwan had ordered from the US would come out of the factory with the system installed.

The first of the fighter jets rolled out of a factory in South Carolina in March, with the aircraft destined for Chihhang Air Base in Taitung. An earlier program to upgrade 140 F-16A/B to F-16V Block 20 level was completed in 2023.

The ground collision avoidance system takes over control of the aircraft when the pilot is incapacitated or unresponsive. Based on data from terrain mapping, geolocation, and automation, the system prevents “Controlled Flight Into Terrain” by adjusting the plane’s trajectory before returning control to the pilot once he becomes responsive again.