US delivers F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan as island eyes threat from China

Amid threats from China, Taipai is growing concerned about the Trump administration’s commitment to arming the island.

A newly purchased F-16V Block 70 fighter jet lands at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on October 2, 2026 [Cheng Yu-Chen/AFP]

The United States has delivered two F-16V ⁠Block 70 fighter jets to Taiwan as the island seeks to build its defence capabilities to deter a feared attack by China .

The aircraft, built by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, are part of an $8bn deal for 66 F-16Vs approved during President Donald Trump’s first term. They landed on Friday following months of delay due to repeated requests from Beijing to the US to stop arming Taiwan .

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The jets, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at noon (04:00 GMT) local time. They arrived a week after Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington .

Taiwan is eyeing a rising military threat from Beijing, ⁠which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory.

“Of course we won’t only have delivered these two [F-16Vs] by the end of the year,” Minister of National Defence Wellington Koo said.

The arrival of the planes comes amid growing concern in Taiwan about the Trump administration’s commitment to arming Taipei.

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

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

Washington has said there has been no ‌change in policy.

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

The F-16Vs, which received an upgrade in 2023, have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better ⁠counter the Chinese air force, including its J-20 stealth fighters.

However, Washington has been unwilling to provide Taiwan with its most advanced fighters, such as the F-22 or F-35.

面对来自中国的威胁，台北越来越担心特朗普政府武装台湾的承诺。

2026年10月2日，一架新购入的F-16V Block 70战斗机降落在台东池行空军基地。[程宇晨/法新社]

美国已向台湾交付两架F-16V Block 70战斗机，台湾正寻求增强其防御能力，以阻止其担心的来自中国的攻击。

这批由美国国防承包商洛克希德·马丁公司制造的战机，是特朗普总统第一任期内批准的价值80亿美元的66架F-16V战机采购协议的一部分。由于北京方面多次要求美国停止向台湾提供武器，导致交付延迟数月，最终于周五抵达台湾。

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这些飞机经停夏威夷和关岛，于当地时间中午（格林尼治标准时间04:00）降落。它们抵达华盛顿一周前，特朗普刚刚与中国国家主席习近平会晤。

台湾正密切关注来自北京日益增长的军事威胁，北京声称这个民主治理的岛屿是​​其领土的一部分。

“当然，到今年年底，我们交付的肯定不止这两架（F-16V）战机，”国防部长顾维京说。

飞机抵达之际，台湾方面对特朗普政府武装台北的承诺日益感到担忧。

美国依法有义务向台湾提供自卫手段，但美台两国没有正式外交关系。

特朗普在 5 月份于北京会见习近平后表示，他将暂缓向台湾提供 140 亿美元的新援助方案，尽管他确实在 2025 年 12 月批准了一项价值 110 亿美元的援助方案。

华盛顿方面表示，政策没有任何改变。

美国国务院发言人在被问及此次交付时表示：“我们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。”

2023 年进行了升级的 F-16V 战机配备了先进的航空电子设备、武器和雷达系统，以更好地对抗中国空军，包括其歼-20 隐形战斗机。

然而，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。