An upgraded Taiwanese F-16V, aircraft 6615, in a November 2021 Presidential Office photograph. File photo, not one of the newly built Block 70 jets delivered in October 2026. Makoto Lin / Office of the President / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0. Source image unaltered; display may crop.
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After years of delays, Taiwan has received its first two newly built F-16V Block 70 fighters. The aircraft landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on October 2, according to Central News Agency’s report from the base. The bigger story is how quickly the rest of the 66-aircraft order can become a force that operational units can use.
The United States approved the sale in 2019. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s notification put its estimated value at $8 billion, including aircraft, equipment and support. Delivery has since faced software, testing and production challenges.
In March, Defense Minister Wellington Koo said 59 aircraft were on the production line, CNA reported at the time. That was a production update, not a count of aircraft delivered or combat-ready. The arrival of the first pair is an important milestone, but two fighters do not make a fleet.
Why Taiwan still needs the F-16V
The F-16 is not the newest generation of combat aircraft. In an era of stealth fighters such as the J-20 and F-35, however, its value cannot be judged from the airframe alone.
The Block 70 package includes modern radar, mission computers, communications and supporting equipment. For example, an electronically scanned radar steers its beam electronically to help find and track targets. These systems, alongside weapons, training and maintenance, shape what a fighter can do in service.
Taiwan already operates upgraded F-16s, and that experience provides a foundation for introducing the newly built aircraft. The two programs are distinct: modernizing an existing jet is not the same as taking delivery of a new Block 70. New equipment still needs its own acceptance, training and support work.
Taiwan has not acquired US stealth fighters such as the F-22 or F-35. The F-16V therefore remains important to its current air-force modernization. The useful question is not simply whether one F-16V can defeat one J-20, but how fighters operate with ground-based air defenses, early-warning radar, data links and other aircraft. Data links allow those platforms to share information.
Modern air warfare is a contest between connected combat systems, not only between individual fighters.
Delivery is the next test
For years, the controversy around the program has focused on delays. Extensive testing, software integration and production work help explain why a signed contract does not produce immediate operational capability.
The first arrivals do not change that distinction. Taiwan’s air force must accept the aircraft, train personnel and integrate them into its units. Koo said more aircraft were expected before the end of the year, without giving a detailed schedule, according to Reuters on October 2.
The question now is whether the remaining 64 fighters can arrive at a steady pace—and whether training and logistical support can keep up. A delivery total and a combat-ready total measure different things.
From a contract to usable aircraft
Taiwan’s procurement experience illustrates the distance between an approved arms sale and military capability. Production, testing, software integration, ferry flights, training and maintenance all sit between the two. A delay at any stage can create a gap between weapons purchased on paper and those available to commanders.
The program was approved in 2019; its first newly built aircraft arrived in Taiwan in 2026. That is why the significance of two jets landing in Taitung extends beyond the ceremony. A long-delayed purchase has entered the practical task of equipping operational units.
Success should be measured not only by the number 66, but by when the aircraft are delivered and how many are ready when needed. The first two arrivals begin that test; they do not complete it.
About this article
By Evan Liu. AHR edited the author’s original article, added supporting links and clarified the difference between upgraded F-16s and newly built Block 70 aircraft. Analysis remains attributed to the original author. Photographs with unconfirmed republication rights were replaced by a separately licensed file image. Information checked on October 2, 2026.