Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Taiwan on Friday received its first two US-made F-16V fighter jets, a milestone in the island’s effort to upgrade its military and deter a potential Chinese attack.
The two aircraft, built by American defence contractor Lockheed Martin, touched down under a clear sky at Taiwan’s air force base in Taitung, on the island’s southeast coast. The delivery marks the start of a long-awaited induction of new combat aircraft into Taiwan’s air force.
The jets are part of an $8 billion deal for 66 F-16Vs that was approved during US President Donald Trump’s first term and is scheduled for delivery this year. The arrival of the first two aircraft therefore signals that the programme has moved from contract to deliveries, even as the bulk of the fleet is yet to come.
The timing carries strategic weight. The delivery comes as Taiwan awaits Washington’s approval of a separate $14 billion arms package that Trump paused after Chinese objections. That pause has left Taipei watching closely how the United States balances support for the island against its relationship with Beijing. The contrast between a delivery long in the pipeline and a package still on hold illustrates the uncertainty that surrounds American arms transfers to Taiwan.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control, which is why Taipei treats air power as central to its defensive planning. Modern fighters add to the island’s ability to contest the skies, protect its airspace and complicate any hostile operation across the Taiwan Strait. The choice to base the first aircraft in Taitung, on the southeast coast facing the Pacific, also reflects the importance of keeping combat assets dispersed and away from the island’s western side.
For the wider Indo-Pacific, the development is a reminder of how arms supplies and diplomacy are intertwined. Every delivery and every pause is read in Beijing, Washington and regional capitals as a signal of intent. Whether the remaining 64 jets arrive on schedule this year, and whether the paused package is cleared, will shape the next phase of the military balance around the Taiwan Strait.
