Taiwan receives first two new F-16V fighters from US

• The first two of 66 newly built F-16V Block 70 fighters landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung around noon on Friday. ¹
• Taiwan’s Air Force says 63 more remain on the US production line; Defence Minister Wellington Koo says more than two will arrive before year-end. ^{2 3}
• The aircraft must undergo acceptance and conversion training before Taiwan’s Air Force can build them into its operational force. ⁴
• The original plan to deliver all 66 by the end of 2026 will not be met. ⁵

The two jets, numbered 6727 and 6728, flew via Hawaii and Guam before landing on Taiwan’s east coast. They are the first deliveries from a US sale approved in 2019, valued at about US$8 billion. These are new-build aircraft, not older Taiwanese F-16s receiving upgrades. ^{1 6}

The first pair had been expected by the end of August but stayed in Hawaii for more than a month. The reason for the stop was not explained in the reporting. The delivery programme was originally expected to begin in 2023 and finish by 2026; delays have pushed that timetable back. ⁷

The arrival starts a further process, not an immediate deployment. Taiwan’s Air Force says personnel trained in the US will take part in receiving the aircraft, followed by acceptance checks, conversion training and other preparations in stages. It has not announced when these two fighters will enter operational service. ⁴

The Air Force says 63 aircraft remain on the US production line, with some already at a delivery stage. It will coordinate their return with the US project office. Koo offered a broad assurance that more than two would arrive before the end of the year, but gave no number or dates. The full order will not be delivered by the original year-end target, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, which cited supply-chain disruption and other programme delays. ^{2 3 5}

The two aircraft mark a long-awaited step in Taiwan’s effort to strengthen its air force amid pressure from China. But two of 66, still to be prepared for service, do not by themselves represent a material shift in the military balance. ⁸

Footnotes

1. Reuters, “Taiwan’s first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defences against China”; Focus Taiwan/Central News Agency, “Taiwan receives first 2 F-16V Block 70s”. ↩ ↩²

2. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Air Force statement on the first two F-16 Block 70 aircraft. ↩ ↩²

3. Taiwan Military News Agency, “Koo: F-16Vs being produced and tested as military readiness continues”; Public Television Service, “First batch of F-16Vs delivered; Koo says more than two will arrive by year-end”. ↩ ↩²

4. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Air Force statement on the first two F-16 Block 70 aircraft. ↩ ↩²

5. Focus Taiwan/Central News Agency, “F-16Vs vital for Taiwan despite rise of drones: Experts”; Focus Taiwan/Central News Agency, “A breakdown of Taiwan’s F-16V purchase, as first two jets arrive”. ↩ ↩²

6. Focus Taiwan/Central News Agency, “A breakdown of Taiwan’s F-16V purchase, as first two jets arrive”. ↩

7. Focus Taiwan/Central News Agency, “Taiwan receives first 2 F-16V Block 70s”; Public Television Service, “First batch of F-16Vs delivered; Koo says more than two will arrive by year-end”. ↩

8. Reuters, “Taiwan’s first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defences against China”; Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Air Force statement on the first two F-16 Block 70 aircraft. ↩