WASHINGTON —
The first of the 66 F-16V Block 70 fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States has been built, and Taiwan will send a deputy defense minister-level official to the United States to attend the first aircraft factory ceremony. Taiwanese officials said that the United States has provided Taiwan with a preliminary list of American officials who plan to attend the ceremony, but it is not appropriate to disclose it to the outside world.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Gu Lixiong was explaining the “Progress of delivery of domestically manufactured aircraft and the maintenance of the Brave Eagle advanced trainer aircraft after the crash” at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday (March 13). He responded to questions from Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Junyu about the delivery schedule of the F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan and whether Gu Lixiong would attend the delivery ceremony.
“I won’t,” Gu Lixiong said. He will not attend the delivery ceremony of the first F-16V fighter. He said that the current plan of the Ministry of National Defense is for officials at the vice minister level to attend. As for who will represent the Air Force, Lieutenant General Wang Deyang, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command, added that the Air Force will send the deputy chief of staff to accompany him to attend the ceremony.
The United Daily News reported on Thursday that it had been previously reported that Taiwan Air Force Commander General Zheng Rongfeng would travel to the United States with senior Defense Ministry officials to preside over the factory delivery ceremony of the first F-16V fighter jet.
Legislator Chen Junyu also asked Gu Lixiong if he had any information about the list of American officials attending the meeting. Gu Lixiong replied: “The US side has initially provided us with some possible lists… I think it is not convenient for us to disclose the exact list here.”
The US promises to speed up the delivery of arms
Chen Junyu said that he hopes Gu Lixiong and the Air Force can grasp the delivery schedule of the F-16V fighter jets, “to ensure that we have no concerns about air defense with related fighter jets,” and that the subsequent related production capacity of American manufacturers can also be controlled.
On Tuesday, before answering questions in the Legislative Yuan, Gu Lizhong told the media about the US’s delay in delivering weapons purchased by Taiwan. Currently, only the F-16V and AGM-154C missile projects have been delayed, but the US has promised to speed up the delivery process to Taiwan.
Gu Lixiong accepted a joint media interview at the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan on January 16 this year and stated regarding the progress of the F-16V BLK 70 that the first aircraft of this batch of fighter jets has been assembled and is undergoing various tests, and is expected to be completed in March.
In September last year, the Taiwan Air Force Command issued a statement in response to media reports that “the F-16V Block70 is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan at the end of September.” The statement said that the first aircraft was originally scheduled to be launched in the third quarter of last year, but “due to the drastic changes in the international situation, some suppliers have delayed their delivery schedules, and the US side has adjusted its assembly schedule. The factory schedule must be partially adjusted, and we will actively control and strive to complete the first aircraft’s factory delivery in the fourth quarter.”
The statement also said that the Air Force Command will use mechanisms such as special project meetings and factory visits to closely control and coordinate the production progress, “with the goal of completing the return flight operation before the end of 2026.”
All are expected to be delivered by the end of 2026
Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that Defense Minister Gu Lixiong said in a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in October last year regarding the production progress of the F-16V Block70 that there were 19 fighter jets on the production line at the time and it was expected that all 66 fighter jets would be delivered by the end of 2026.
Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan’s Taipei office, also recently stated in an exclusive interview with Taiwan’s Liberty Times that the U.S. military industry’s production capacity is tight due to factors such as the conflict in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, but Taiwan is a priority target of the United States. The United States is accelerating the delivery schedule and will deliver the arms needed by Taiwan as soon as possible.
The Chinese government has always opposed the US selling weapons to Taiwan and also opposes US-Taiwan military ties. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang reiterated on Friday that the Taiwan issue “is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no external interference,” and said the US “is attempting to ‘use Taiwan to contain China’ and is stepping up the arming of Taiwan.” The DPP authorities have taken the opportunity to increase defense spending and “are indulging in the pipe dream of ‘relying on the US to seek independence.'” They are willing to be pawns and “sell out Taiwan and harm the people.”
In 2019, the U.S. government approved the sale of $8 billion worth of Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 fighter jets to Taiwan. The deal will increase Taiwan’s F-16 fleet to more than 200, making it the largest F-16 fleet in Asia, in order to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities and respond to the growing threat from China.
The jets have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems and are expected to be able to more effectively counter China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force, including its J-20 stealth fighter.
However, Lockheed Martin has also been sanctioned by the Chinese government for contracting arms sales to Taiwan.