First new F-16V fighter jets to arrive in Taiwan to bolster defences against China — SkimNews
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- Taiwan received the first two of 66 new F-16V fighter jets at Taitung air base on Friday, part of a 2019 $8 billion Lockheed Martin deal set to grow the island's F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets.
- The delivery was delayed by months due to issues including software problems and comes amid growing Taiwanese concern about the Trump administration's commitment to arming Taipei, even as Washington insists its policy is unchanged.
- The jets arrived almost exactly a week after Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing; Trump said in May he was holding a new $14 billion Taiwan package in abeyance after the meeting, though he approved $11 billion in arms in December 2025.
- The F-16Vs carry advanced avionics, weapons, and radar to face China's J-20 stealth fighters, but the article notes Taiwan still has 'no direct answer' to China's new stealth jets since the US refuses to sell F-22s or F-35s.
- Beijing has repeatedly demanded Washington stop arming Taiwan, and most countries refuse to sell Taipei weapons for fear of angering China, leaving the United States as Taiwan's primary international backer and arms supplier.
Why it matters: The F-16V delivery is a real capability boost for Taiwan's air force, which scrambles almost daily to shadow Chinese military aircraft, but the source itself flags the limit: these jets don't match China's J-20s, and Trump simultaneously parked a $14 billion follow-on package in abeyance after meeting Xi, meaning Taipei is upgrading its fleet while the next tranche sits politically frozen.
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