Taiwan Receives First Pair of US-Built F-16V Vipers Amid Rising Tensions

Two new F-16V Viper fighters, serial numbers 6727 and 6728, have departed Lockheed Martin’s facility in South Carolina and are on a trans-Pacific flight that included stops in Hawaii and Guam, initially displaying US Air Force insignia before switching to Taiwan’s national livery on arrival at Taitung Air Force Base. The aircraft will be used for conversion training and assigned to the Republic of China Air Force’s 7th Tactical Fighter Wing, marking the first delivery of a $8 billion Foreign Military Sale for 66 Block 70 jets approved in August 2019.

The deal, finalized a year later despite strong opposition from Beijing, also includes a separate $847 million purchase of 2,000 Altius drones from Anduril to augment the new fighters. Taiwan currently operates about 150 older F-16A/B models, upgraded to Block 20, plus indigenous and Mirage aircraft, but faces a growing Chinese air force that fields several hundred J-20 stealth fighters. The added Vipers and drones aim to enhance Taiwan’s defensive posture, though the island will remain at a numerical disadvantage. The deliveries are scheduled to continue through 2028.