TAITUNG, Taiwan, — Taiwan has received its first two newly built Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 70 fighters, which landed at Chihhang Air Base near Taitung around noon local time. The arrival marks the beginning of deliveries under Taiwan’s order for 66 aircraft valued at approximately $8 billion.
The single-seat fighters, bearing serial numbers 6727 and 6728, arrived after an extended ferry flight from the United States via Hawaii and Guam. The aircraft will remain U.S. property until formal handover and acceptance procedures are completed.
Extended Delivery Flight
The fighters departed Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, in mid-August and reached Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii around August 20–21. They remained there for approximately six weeks and reportedly aborted at least two attempted departures for Guam before continuing across the Pacific on October 1.
Neither Taiwanese nor U.S. authorities have disclosed the reason for the prolonged stop. The aircraft subsequently continued through Guam before reaching Taiwan.
Taiwan’s F-16 Procurement Programme
The United States approved the approximately $8 billion sale of 66 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters in 2019 through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The purchase forms part of Taiwan’s Peace Phoenix Soaring project, funded at approximately NT$247.2 billion between 2020 and 2026. It is the largest order placed to date for the Block 70 variant.
Lockheed Martin unveiled the first completed aircraft for Taiwan in March 2025. Deliveries were originally scheduled to begin in 2023 and finish by the end of 2026 but were delayed by the relocation and restart of the production line, supply-chain disruptions and software integration issues.
Taiwan’s Air Force has said another 63 aircraft remain on the production line in the United States. Defence Minister Wellington Koo stated that additional fighters beyond the first two would arrive before the end of 2026, with exact dates being coordinated with Washington. Delivery of the remaining aircraft is scheduled to continue through 2028.
Integration With Taiwan’s Fighter Fleet
The new fighters are scheduled to join the 7th Tactical Fighter Wing at Chihhang Air Base, strengthening air defence coverage in Taiwan’s eastern Hualien–Taitung area.
They will operate alongside Taiwan’s 139 upgraded F-16A/B fighters, which have been modernised to the F-16V standard, as well as French-built Dassault Mirage 2000s and domestically produced AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo aircraft.
Both the upgraded F-16V fleet and the newly built Block 70 fighters use the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
F-16 Block 70 Capabilities
The newly manufactured Block 70 features a structural service life of 12,000 flight hours, strengthened landing gear and conformal fuel tanks that increase fuel capacity and mission range while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency.
Other key features include the General Electric F110-GE-129 engine, a modern digital cockpit and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS), which can help prevent controlled flight into terrain by automatically recovering the aircraft under qualifying conditions.
The aircraft’s updated radar and avionics provide modern target detection, tracking and mission-management capabilities.
Global F-16 Production
Lockheed Martin has delivered at least 37 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters to Bahrain, Bulgaria and Slovakia. Its published order book includes approximately 123 Block 70 and Block 72 aircraft for Bulgaria, Taiwan, Morocco, Jordan and Peru.
The figure excludes a reported anticipated order for 40 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters for Turkey, which has not been incorporated into the company’s published backlog.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed the arrival, describing it as an important step in strengthening Taiwan’s air defence capabilities. The first two aircraft mark the beginning of deliveries under the 66-fighter procurement programme, with the remaining aircraft expected to arrive according to the production and acceptance schedule agreed between Taiwan and the United States.
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