Taiwan will receive long-awaited F-16s by 2026, as production problems are "solved"

Taiwan's Ministry of Defence has announced that deliveries of the F-16V fighter jets it has purchased from the US could finally begin in 2026.

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The report said that all issues related to the production and delivery of the fifth-generation US aircraft have been resolved. In 2019, the US Department of State approved the sale of 66 F-16Vs to the island nation as part of an $8bn deal.

Initially, the deliveries were scheduled for 2023, but due to software integration issues, they were not delivered. And last year, delays were caused by supply chain problems, as the US prioritised the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

It is worth noting that Taipei urgently needs modern aircraft to make its army stronger and more resilient to pressure from China. Beijing views Taiwan as its renegade province, with which it must reunite.

Although Taiwan is expected to receive two F-16V prototypes later this year for flight testing, Lockheed Martin, the aircraft manufacturer, may still have trouble delivering all 66 aircraft by 2026.

Source: Taipei Times