Taiwan on Friday received the first two of 66 new F-16V fighter jets ordered from the United States, ending years of delay in a landmark arms deal meant to strengthen the island's defences against China.
Arrival after years of delay
The two jets touched down at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung at noon local time on Friday, completing a trans-Pacific flight that routed through Hawaii and Guam. They are the first aircraft of a 2019 order placed with Lockheed Martin as part of a United States-approved sale worth $8 billion.
The delivery was held up for years by software problems and production and supply-chain difficulties, and Taiwanese officials have voiced frustration in the past over the slow pace of American arms transfers.
Defence Minister Wellington Koo welcomed the arrival and said more aircraft were on the way. "Of course we won't only have delivered these two by year-end," he told reporters. President Lai Ching-te thanked the United States in a post on Facebook.
Stakes for the region
The F-16Vs will eventually take Taiwan's F-16 fleet to more than 200 aircraft, making it one of the largest operators of the type in the world. The delivery came about a week after United States President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
The sale remains a point of contention with Beijing, which opposes American arms sales to the island it claims as its territory. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is holding a separate new package of about $14 billion in arms for Taiwan in abeyance, leaving the future scale of American military support an open question.
Sources: Reuters: Taiwan's first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defences against China; AP: Taiwan receives 2 long-delayed US F-16Vs and awaits additional fighter jets; Nikkei Asia: Taiwan receives first of 66 new F-16V fighter jets from US
Arrival after years of delay
The two jets touched down at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung at noon local time on Friday, completing a trans-Pacific flight that routed through Hawaii and Guam. They are the first aircraft of a 2019 order placed with Lockheed Martin as part of a United States-approved sale worth $8 billion.
The delivery was held up for years by software problems and production and supply-chain difficulties, and Taiwanese officials have voiced frustration in the past over the slow pace of American arms transfers.
Defence Minister Wellington Koo welcomed the arrival and said more aircraft were on the way. "Of course we won't only have delivered these two by year-end," he told reporters. President Lai Ching-te thanked the United States in a post on Facebook.
Stakes for the region
The F-16Vs will eventually take Taiwan's F-16 fleet to more than 200 aircraft, making it one of the largest operators of the type in the world. The delivery came about a week after United States President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
The sale remains a point of contention with Beijing, which opposes American arms sales to the island it claims as its territory. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is holding a separate new package of about $14 billion in arms for Taiwan in abeyance, leaving the future scale of American military support an open question.
Sources: Reuters: Taiwan's first two F-16V fighter jets arrive to bolster defences against China; AP: Taiwan receives 2 long-delayed US F-16Vs and awaits additional fighter jets; Nikkei Asia: Taiwan receives first of 66 new F-16V fighter jets from US
