The United States delivered the first two newly built F-16 Block 70 fighter jets to Taiwan on Friday, beginning deliveries on a 66-aircraft purchase that the U.S. government notified Congress of in August 2019.
The two single-seat fighters landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung, on Taiwan’s east coast, according to the Air Force Command. The Air Force said it will carry out aircraft acceptance, conversion training, and other preparations as the fighters are introduced into the force.
Taiwan established its 7th Tactical Fighter Wing in December 2023 and has sent aircrew and maintenance personnel to the United States in stages for conversion training.
The new Block 70 aircraft are factory-built F-16Vs and are separate from Taiwan’s older F-16A/B fighters, which were upgraded to the F-16V configuration under a program completed in 2023.
The first Block 70 had originally been scheduled to roll out in the third quarter of 2024. The Air Force said in September of that year that supplier delivery delays and adjustments to the U.S. assembly schedule had pushed the timetable back, while maintaining a goal of completing ferry deliveries to Taiwan by the end of 2026.
Sixty-three F-16 Block 70 aircraft are currently on production lines in the United States, the Air Force said on Friday, with some already at the delivery stage.
Combined with the two aircraft delivered to Taiwan, those figures account for 65 of the 66 aircraft ordered. The official statement did not specify the status of the other aircraft.
The Epoch Times has sought clarification from Taiwan’s military, the U.S. State Department, and Lockheed Martin.
Production and Testing
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry provided additional details about the production process earlier this year.
Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production line in South Carolina in March and witnessed the first aircraft after it completed the manufacturer’s acceptance check flight. The ministry said aircraft that complete assembly and Lockheed Martin’s acceptance flight must then undergo a final U.S. government acceptance flight before being ferried to Taiwan.
Ten days later, Hsu told Taiwan’s legislature that 59 of the 66 aircraft were undergoing assembly and modification on the production line. He said there were no material or personnel bottlenecks, but flight testing and calibration made the schedule difficult to determine precisely.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Oct. 2 that the newly purchased F-16s were continuing through production and testing, with some aircraft having passed relevant tests. He said the ministry would continue coordinating subsequent deliveries with the U.S. project office.
The fighters are arriving as Beijing continues military pressure on Taiwan. The Chinese Communist regime claims Taiwan as part of China and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taipei rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The Air Force said it will continue coordinating with the U.S. project office to manage ferry flights to Taiwan as additional aircraft reach their delivery milestones.
