Taiwan receives first F-16Vs as Lockheed struggles to ramp up production

Taiwan has received its first two F-16Vs in-country after an extended stint in Hawaii and expects two more within weeks. With Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70/72 production rates remaining low, deliveries may drag on beyond 2027.

The six-week F-16V delay in Hawaii

In late August, AGN reported that the first two new-build Taiwanese F-16V Viper fighter jets were en route to Taiwan. At the time, the jets were making a stopover in Hawaii, but a combination of factors meant they remained in Hawaii for six weeks.

Reported reasons for their prolonged stay in Hawaii include weather, technical issues, and political timing around the late-September Trump-Xi meeting.

The two fighters finally crossed the rest of the Pacific and arrived at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County on the 3rd of October. These are the first new-build F-16 fighter jets to be delivered as part of the delayed 2019 contract for Taiwan to purchase 66 of the aircraft.

The purchase of these jets is additional to Taiwan’s efforts to upgrade 140 of its legacy F-16A/B jets to the F-16V configuration. That programme was completed in December 2023.

Taiwan expecting more F-16V fighters imminently

This month, the Taipei Times cited Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo as saying that six of the 66 fighter jets have now completed factory acceptance and have rolled off the production line.

The six jets include the two already in Taiwan, two more at a US base for training, and two more undergoing testing.

Four additional F-16C/D Block 70 fighters ordered by Taiwan have completed production, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo says. Two are currently undergoing flight training with crew, while another two are undergoing testing. (Liberty Times) https://t.co/SJfiGXIJrD

— Taiwan Defense News Tracker 🇹🇼 (@TaiwansDefense) October 13, 2026

Wellington Koo has said that more F-16V fighter jets are expected to arrive on the island before the end of the year. He also expressed hope that more F-16Vs will arrive in Taiwan later in October.

Taipei Times wrote, “asked whether all 66 aircraft could be delivered by the end of next year, to which, Koo said the ministry would make every effort and continue coordinating with the US, but he could not make any commitments.”

Lockheed’s sluggish F-16V fighter jet ramp-up

Lockheed Martin has been facing supply chain issues with ramping up its latest Block 70 deliveries. While it is working up to a delivery rate of four per month (48 annually), it has been delayed in reaching the target, with only 16 examples delivered in 2025, the same number as in 2024.

It currently has a backlog of around 120 new-build F-16s, about half of which are from Taiwan.

Lockheed Martin has not publicly announced delivery targets in the same way as it does for the F-35, and it hasn’t announced a year-to-date delivery number. However, in Lockheed’s Q4 2025 earnings call, its F-16 Block 70/72 Fast Facts document listed 36 aircraft delivered.

As of October 2026, that Fast Facts document has been updated to 44 aircraft delivered, suggesting Lockheed has delivered another eight aircraft year-to-date.

With production numbers remaining stubbornly low, it is difficult to see how Lockheed would be able to deliver all of Taiwan’s F-16s by the end of 2027, even before considering possible deliveries to other customers.