Taiwan’s first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defenses against China

TAITUNG, Taiwan — The first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019 arrived in Taiwan on Friday after months of delays, helping to strengthen an air force that has to scramble almost daily to shadow China’s military.

Taiwan faces a rising military threat from Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory. Taipei has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the United States, its most important international backer and arms supplier.

The delivery, to Taitung’s Chihhang Air Base on the mountainous east coast, comes amid growing concern in Taiwan about the Trump administration’s commitment to arming Taipei, despite Washington saying there has been no change in policy.

The aircraft, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at noon (0400 GMT).

“This is an important development in strengthening Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook, thanking the United States for its support.

Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said there would be other new F-16Vs arriving soon, though he did not give details.

In 2019 the U.S. approved an $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, which would take its F-16 fleet to more than 200. But issues such as software problems delayed delivery of the planes.

The arrival of the first two aircraft came almost exactly a week after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.

Trump said in May, after meeting Xi in Beijing, that he was holding a new $14 billion package for Taiwan in abeyance, though he did approve one worth $11 billion in December 2025.

U.S. officials believe a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 is increasingly unlikely, people familiar with U.S. thinking told Reuters. Taiwan holds its next presidential election in early 2028.

“China’s intention to annex Taiwan by force has never changed,” Koo said.

Taiwan also has an ambitious domestic weapons program, including building what is eventually planned to be eight submarines, drawing on expertise and technology from several countries, including the United States and Britain.

The first boat, the Narwhal, had been due to be delivered to the navy in 2024, but the program — Taiwan’s first attempt to build a submarine — has been hit with delays.

Chen Jeng-horng, chairman of CSBC, which is building the vessels, told reporters in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung that the Narwhal was undergoing its final tests before delivery.

“Of course, the sooner the better for all parties,” he added, without giving a timeframe for when the navy would get it.

Advanced new fighter

The new F-16V jets have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better counter the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters, though Washington has been unwilling to provide Taiwan its most advanced fighters such as the F-22 or F-35.

The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but the two have no formal diplomatic relations.

Beijing has repeatedly told Washington to stop arming Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the arrival of the F-16s.

“We continue standing with friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values — that includes Taiwan,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said when asked about the new F-16s.

台湾台东——2019年订购的66架新型F-16V Block 70战斗机中的前两架在经历了数月的延误后于周五抵达台湾，这将有助于加强台湾空军，使其几乎每天都能紧急升空以跟踪中国的军事行动。

台湾面临来自北京日益增长的军事威胁，北京声称对这个民主治理的岛屿拥有主权。台北方面多次抱怨从美国订购的武器一再延误，而美国是其最重要的国际支持者和武器供应国。

此次向位于台湾东部山区的台东池行空军基地交付武器之际，台湾方面越来越担心特朗普政府致力于武装台北，尽管华盛顿方面表示政策没有改变。

这架飞机经停夏威夷和关岛，于中午（格林尼治标准时间 04:00）降落。

“这是加强台湾防空能力的重要进展，”赖清德总统在脸书上写道，并感谢美国的支持。

国防部长顾维伦在台北国会向记者表示，不久将有更多新型F-16V战机交付，但他没有透露详情。

2019年，美国批准向台湾出售价值80亿美元的洛克希德·马丁F-16V战斗机，这将使台湾的F-16机队规模超过200架。但软件问题等因素导致飞机交付延迟。

首批两架飞机抵达的时间，几乎正好是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在华盛顿会见中国国家主席习近平一周之后。

特朗普在 5 月份于北京会见习近平后表示，他暂缓了一项新的 140 亿美元对台援助计划，尽管他确实批准了一项价值 110 亿美元的援助计划，将于 2025 年 12 月实施。

据路透社报道，知情人士透露，美国官员认为中国在2028年之前入侵台湾的可能性越来越小。台湾将于2028年初举行下一届总统选举。

“中国武力吞并台湾的意图从未改变，”顾先生说。

台湾也有一项雄心勃勃的国内武器计划，包括建造最终计划中的八艘潜艇，该计划借鉴了包括美国和英国在内的几个国家的专业知识和技术。

第一艘潜艇“独角鲸”号原定于 2024 年交付海军，但该项目——台湾首次尝试建造潜艇——遭遇了延误。

建造这些船舶的台船集团董事长陈正宏在台湾南部高雄市告诉记者，“独角鲸”号正在进行交付前的最后测试。

“当然，对各方来说越快越好，”他补充道，但没有给出海军何时能获得该装备的具体时间表。

先进的新型战斗机

新型 F-16V 战机配备了先进的航空电子设备、武器和雷达系统，可以更好地对抗中国空军，包括其隐形的歼-20 战斗机，尽管华盛顿一直不愿向台湾提供其最先进的战斗机，例如 F-22 或 F-35。

美国依法有义务向台湾提供自卫手段，但美台之间没有正式外交关系。

北京方面多次要求华盛顿停止向台湾提供武器。中国外交部未回应有关F-16战机抵达台湾的置评请求。

美国国务院发言人在被问及新的F-16战斗机时表示：“我们将继续与印太地区的朋友和盟友站在一起，推进我们共同的繁荣、安全和价值观——这其中也包括台湾。”