Taiwan’s Minister of Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, announced on Thursday that the delivery of 66 high-tech new F-16Vs from the United States had been delayed due to supply chain disruptions, but that the ministry was working to mitigate losses and make up for shortfalls.
Due to the increased threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own, the United States approved an $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (LMT.N) F-16 fighter jets to the island in 2019. This would increase Taiwan’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, making it the largest in Asia.
To counter the Chinese air force and the J-20 stealth fighter, Taiwan has upgraded 141 of its F-16A/B jets and ordered an additional 66 F-16Vs, each of which comes equipped with upgraded avionics, weapons, and radar systems.
Due to supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, the ministry announced that the first of the new F-16Vs would not be delivered until the third quarter of next year.
Chiu told reporters in parliament that Taiwan had requested that the United States “make up the deficiency” by giving priority to the delivery of spare parts for the current fleet.
