Taiwan’s Air Force received the first two of 66 new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets on Oct. 2, when the aircraft landed at Chihhang Air Base in the eastern county of Taitung around noon, roughly three years behind the original delivery schedule for the $8 billion order.
The United States approved the sale of 66 F-16 Block 70 jets to Taiwan in 2019. Deliveries were originally expected to begin in 2023 and finish by the end of 2026, but production delays, supply chain problems and software integration issues pushed the schedule back, according to Defence Blog. The two jets had been due in Taiwan by late August or early September but were held in Hawaii for weeks before continuing via Guam, Focus Taiwan reported.
The aircraft, serial numbers 6727 and 6728, are the first factory-new fighter jets delivered to Taiwan in 25 years, according to The War Zone. They will join the air force’s 7th Tactical Fighter Wing at Chihhang, replacing the F-5 Tiger II fighters the unit retired in 2024, Breaking Defense reported.
Taiwan’s government budgeted NT$247.2 billion, about $8 billion, for the purchase between 2020 and 2026. The new jets will be based at Chihhang, where they will undergo ground inspections while pilots and maintainers convert to the aircraft, Defence Blog reported.
The Block 70 is the newest production version of the F-16, built at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina, plant. It carries the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, a newer mission computer, updated electronic warfare and communications systems, and conformal fuel tanks. It is powered by the General Electric F110 engine, unlike the Pratt and Whitney F100 engine in Taiwan’s older F-16s, Breaking Defense reported.
Taiwan already operates more than 140 older F-16A/B fighters upgraded to a similar F-16V standard in a program completed in 2023. The 66 new jets will bring Taiwan’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 aircraft, according to Defence Blog.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook that the delivery is “an important development in strengthening Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” thanking the United States for its support. Defense Minister Wellington Koo said more F-16Vs will arrive soon but did not give details, Defense News reported.
The delivery came about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. Taiwan is still waiting for U.S. approval of a separate arms package worth about $14 billion that Trump paused after Chinese objections, AFP reported. Trump did approve a package worth $11 billion in December 2025, Defense News reported.
Taiwanese officials have said more F-16 Block 70s will arrive before the end of the year, but have not given a number. Remaining deliveries are expected to stretch into 2027 and 2028, Defence Blog reported.
Sources: Defence Blog · Defense News