Three new F-16 Block 70 fighters reached Taiwan on Sunday, following an initial delivery of two aircraft in October. The jets landed in Taitung, where induction training will precede initial operational capability. They belong to a US-approved order for 66 aircraft whose delivery timetable has slipped after technical problems delayed deliveries.
Three F-16 Block 70 fighter jets purchased from the United States landed in Taiwan on Sunday. The second delivery batch reached Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County, in the island’s southeast. Taiwan’s Air Force identified the aircraft by tail numbers 6729, 6731 and 6732. Their arrival followed the first batch of two jets on 2 October, taking deliveries in those batches to five aircraft.[1], [2]
Air Force Command said training to bring the aircraft into service would continue according to plan, with initial operational capability built gradually. The jets had left Lockheed Martin’s factory in South Carolina earlier in the month and reached Hawaii on 4 November, according to reports cited in the delivery account. The landing is one stage in the programme preceding their operational induction.[1]
The United States approved the sale of 66 new fighters and associated equipment in 2019 for approximately 8 billion dollars. Deliveries were originally scheduled to start in 2023 and finish in the current year, before technical difficulties pushed the timetable back. The latest arrival adds another batch under that earlier purchase decision while the remainder of the order is still being delivered.[1]
