Taiwan's first F-16V fighter jets from the United States touched down at Taitung's Chihhang Air Base on Friday, October 2, 2026 — the first two of a long-delayed batch of 66 new Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 aircraft ordered in 2019, giving Taipei a much-needed boost as it scrambles almost daily to shadow China's military.
First two of 66 F-16V jets land at Chihhang
The two aircraft, flying via Hawaii and Guam, landed around noon local time (0400 GMT) at Chihhang Air Base on Taiwan's mountainous east coast, according to Reuters reporting. Dozens of locals — some with binoculars and long-lensed cameras — gathered near the base's perimeter fence to watch the highly anticipated arrival.
Kimi Chi, a 37-year-old salesman from Taichung, travelled overnight to photograph the jets. "In terms of hardware capabilities, there will definitely be an improvement," he told AFP. "But what we are actually lacking the most right now is pilots."
The journey itself was not without drama: local media reported the jets had turned back to Hawaii shortly after departing for Guam before eventually completing the flight. No official explanation was given.
The $8 billion deal — and why it stalled
The United States approved the $8 billion sale of 66 F-16V fighters to Taiwan back in 2019, which would take the island's F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets. Taiwan currently operates 139 upgraded F-16A/B aircraft; adding the new batch pushes the total past 200.
But software problems and production-line changes repeatedly pushed back deliveries, leaving Taipei complaining of stalled weapons shipments from its most important international backer and arms supplier. Defence Minister Wellington Koo told parliament in Taipei that more new F-16Vs would arrive soon: "Of course we won't only have delivered these two by year-end."
Timing: a week after the Trump–Xi meeting
The arrival came almost exactly a week after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington — a moment of high sensitivity in US–Taiwan–China relations. Trump said in May, after meeting Xi in Beijing, that he was holding a new $14 billion arms package for Taiwan in abeyance, though he did approve an $11 billion package in December 2025.
President Lai Ching-te welcomed the delivery on Facebook, calling it "an important development in strengthening Taiwan's air defence capabilities" and thanking the United States. Meanwhile, Reuters cited US officials as saying a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 is increasingly unlikely — with Taiwan's next presidential election set for early 2028.
Takeaway
Two jets do not change the military balance across the Taiwan Strait overnight — but ending the seven-year delivery drought matters symbolically and practically. With 64 more F-16Vs expected by year-end and beyond, and Washington's broader Taiwan arms policy under scrutiny after the Trump–Xi talks, every delivery now carries weight well beyond its price tag.