The US website "Military Watch" reported on Monday that the first F-16V Block 70 fighter jet ordered by Taiwan from the United States has officially undergone a test flight at the Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, Texas.
Taiwan's Air Force has purchased a total of 66 F-16C/D Block 70 (referred to by the Air Force as F-16V BLK70) fighters from the US, with a contract totaling $8.2 billion USD (about RM33.3 billion). The first jet was originally scheduled for delivery in 2024, but due to software tuning and supply chain factors, delivery has not yet taken place.
Aviation enthusiasts have spotted the first F-16V BLK70 two-seater jet (tail number 6831) ordered by Taiwan, equipped with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks, taking off from the Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, Texas. It will cross the Pacific via aerial refueling and arrive at Hualien Air Force Base. In response, the Taiwan Air Force Command stated on Sunday (14th) that details regarding the ferry flight of the fighter jet are sensitive and, as usual, will not be commented on.
The F-16V, when equipped with fuel tanks, has a maximum range of about 4,100 kilometers, which falls short of reaching Taiwan. Therefore, it must rely on US Air Force tankers, with an estimated nearly 20 aerial refueling operations required to fly directly across the Pacific to Hualien Base in Taiwan. After arrival and inspection, it will fly to its station at Zhihang Base. It is understood that the jet is expected to arrive in Taiwan within the week.
This year, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, told legislators that the first fighter jet is expected to return to Taiwan in the third quarter; 59 F-16V fighters are currently on the production line.
Given the Air Force's need to counter stealth aircraft, the F-16V is not only equipped with the AN/APG-83 AESA radar, but also features an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system, theoretically giving it the capability to detect Mainland China's J-20 stealth fighter. In actual combat, however, China's fifth-generation stealth fighters, with their superior long-range air combat capabilities, are fully able to attack F-16V Block 70 jets preemptively.
Once all 66 F-16V Block 70s are delivered, combined with Taiwan's F-16A/B Block 20 fighters upgraded to F-16V standard, Taiwan's Air Force will have more than 200 F-16 fighters.
However, the F-16V Block 70 fighter jet is not the only weapon order backlogged for Taiwan. The total value of undelivered orders has already surpassed $21.45 billion USD (about RM87.1 billion).