Taiwan Expected to Receive Long-Delayed U.S. Fighter Jets This Year

Taiwan's defense ministry announced that deliveries of delayed F-16V fighter jets from the United States will commence this year, with production now running at full capacity. The $8 billion weapons deal approved in 2019 has faced multiple setbacks including software issues.

Taiwan’s defense ministry announced that long-awaited F-16V fighter aircraft from the United States will finally begin arriving this year, with manufacturing now operating at maximum capacity following a high-level visit to the production facility.

The island nation, which confronts growing military pressure from China, has expressed frustration over recurring postponements of weapons deliveries from the U.S., its most crucial international ally and primary arms provider. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory.

In 2019, Washington authorized an $8 billion agreement for Lockheed Martin to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan, a contract designed to expand the island’s F-16 fleet beyond 200 aircraft. However, the initiative has encountered various challenges, including technical software complications.

Deputy Minister Hsu Szu-chien and Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Tien Chung-yi traveled to Lockheed Martin’s F-16V manufacturing facility in South Carolina this past Monday to inspect the initial aircraft, according to a defense ministry announcement released Saturday evening.

The ministry confirmed that aircraft deliveries would commence within the year but provided no additional timeline details.

Lockheed Martin has deployed several hundred workers to complete assembly of the remaining aircraft, and the ministry stated that “there are no bottlenecks in either parts supply or manpower; production is proceeding at full capacity on a two-shift schedule.”

In its own statement, Lockheed Martin expressed commitment to “delivering advanced deterrence capabilities to support Taiwan’s security goals.”

“We continue to work closely with the U.S. government to accelerate delivery where possible,” the company added.

The defense ministry noted that since the F-16V represents a new variant specifically engineered for Taiwan, additional test flights remain necessary to optimize its systems, requiring careful implementation of testing procedures.

Taiwan has already upgraded 141 older F-16A/B aircraft to the F-16V configuration and has purchased 66 additional new F-16Vs, which feature enhanced electronics, weaponry and radar capabilities designed to counter the Chinese air force, including its advanced J-20 stealth fighters.