Taiwan’s Air Force said three F-16V Block 70 fighters arrived Sunday, raising deliveries under a U.S.-approved order to five as the military prepares the jets for service.
The Air Force said the aircraft landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County. Their numbers are 6729, 6731 and 6732.
Focus Taiwan reported that the three aircraft were the second delivery group. Two earlier jets arrived Oct. 2, bringing the total delivered to five.
The 2019 U.S.-approved sale covers 66 aircraft and related equipment and is valued at about $8 billion, Focus Taiwan reported. The outlet said technical problems pushed back a delivery schedule originally intended to run from 2023 through 2026.
Citing media reports, Focus Taiwan said the fighters reached Hawaii on Nov. 4 after leaving the Lockheed Martin facility in South Carolina earlier this month.
Air Force Command Headquarters said planned training would prepare the aircraft for service, with their operational capability built up gradually. Defense Minister Wellington Koo had previously said the three aircraft were expected soon but gave no arrival date, in an earlier report on Taiwan’s delivery outlook.
