Two aircraft have landed at Chihhang Air Base; Taiwan ordered 66 in total
Taiwan’s first two new-build F-16 Block 70 fighter jets have arrived on the island, the country’s military announced today.
The Taiwan Military News Agency reported that the aircraft landed Friday at Chihhang Air Base, near the eastern city of Taitung. Photos published by the agency show two single-seat F-16s bearing serial numbers 6727 and 6728.
The jets are the first of 66 F-16 Block 70s ordered by Taiwan in 2019. They will join the Republic of China Air Force’s 7th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Chihhang, replacing the unit’s F-5 Tiger II aircraft, which were retired in 2024.
“The Air Force will proceed with equipment acceptance and training as planned, and systematically advance preparations to ensure the gradual establishment of combat capability,” the report said.
Deliveries have been delayed for several years
Lockheed Martin originally planned to deliver the new F-16s in 2023, but the schedule has slipped repeatedly. The company’s 2019 move of its F-16 production line from Fort Worth, Texas, to Greenville, South Carolina, caused delays as the new facility came online. Supply-chain shortages in 2021 pushed deliveries back by another year.
In September 2026, the Block 70 jets were held during stopovers in Hawaii and Guam on their way to Taiwan because of adverse weather.
Modern radar and conformal fuel tanks
Taiwan’s air force already operates around 140 F-16A/B Block 20 aircraft, acquired in the early 2000s. The jets have been upgraded with the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and modern avionics.
Taiwan’s 66 Block 70 aircraft will carry the same radar and can be equipped with conformal fuel tanks to extend their range. They are powered by the General Electric F110 engine, rather than the Pratt & Whitney F100 fitted to the older aircraft.
