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Taiwan Receives First Two U.S. F-16V Block 70 Fighters

Their arrival without Viper Shield electronic‑warfare pods leaves the jets U.S. property until formal acceptance checks are completed.

A pilot and Air Force soldier run towards a F-16V fighter jet for an evening take off as part of a combat readiness mission at the airbase in Hualien, Taiwan, August 17, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Overview

  • The two newly built F-16V Block 70 fighters landed at Chihhang (Taitung) on Friday and are undergoing acceptance procedures before formal handover to Taiwan.
  • The aircraft are the first delivery from a 2019, roughly $8 billion order for 66 new F-16Vs that will join Taiwan’s upgraded fleet and push its combined F-16 numbers above 200 when complete.
  • Deliveries were pushed years behind schedule by Lockheed Martin’s 2019 production-line move, pandemic-era supply chain problems and software and integration testing that delayed ferry flights.
  • Officials said the jets arrived without their AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield electronic-warfare pods and therefore remain U.S. property until those systems and acceptance checks are finished.
  • Taiwan’s defence minister said more aircraft will arrive before year-end but a separate roughly $14 billion U.S. arms package remains on hold by President Trump, a move that keeps longer-term rearmament plans uncertain.