Taiwan Receives First Two US-Made F-16V Fighter Jets

Taiwan has received the first two of 65 F-16V fighter jets ordered from the U.S., the island's air force announced Friday. The jets landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung, with 63 more expected to be delivered. Taiwan placed its order for the advanced Block 70 jets in 2019.

The self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its territory, relies heavily on the U.S. for its defense needs, particularly in the face of increasing military pressure from China. Chinese military aircraft and ships frequently approach the island.

Taiwanese officials are in continuous dialogue with the U.S. regarding weapons sales. The F-16V order, valued at approximately $8 billion, represents about 25% of Taiwan's total U.S. arms backlog, according to Taiwan Security Monitor at George Mason University. Delays in the delivery were attributed to production and supply chain issues.

This shipment arrives as Taiwan awaits U.S. approval for an additional $14 billion arms package. The potential sale of these weapons has been a point of contention between the U.S. and China, with Chinese President Xi Jinping having personally raised the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Associated Press journalists Huizhong Wu and Johnson Lai contributed to this report.