Lockheed Martin will try to avoid delays in delivering 66 upgraded F-16V Block 70/72 fighters to Taiwan under an $8bn contract

A month ago, it was revealed that Lockheed Martin would not be able to deliver F-16V Block 70/72 fighters to the Taiwan Air Force on time. This week, the company said it was working to avoid the delays.

Here's What We Know

Possible delays were announced in early May by Chiu Kuo-cheng, Taiwan's defense minister. He cited problems in Lockheed Martin's supply chain as the reason. To minimise the damage, the Ministry of Defence asked for priority deliveries of components for the F-16s, which are already in service with the island nation.

Chiu Kuo-cheng later said the delays were related to the F-16V flight control software. A Lockheed Martin spokesman said this week that the company was working closely with the US government to ensure the aircraft are delivered on time.

Lockheed Martin produced three F-16V Block 70/72 aircraft in 2023. They were used to design and develop flight control software. One of the fighters will be handed over to the Royal Bahrain Air Force.

The US State Department approved the sale of 66 upgraded F-16Vs in 2019 at a cost of $8 billion. Taiwan has also already started upgrading 141 F-16A/B fighters to the F-16V.

Source: Janes