The first two of 66 F-16V Block 70 jets that Taiwan has purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan soon, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The two jets, bearing serial numbers 6727 and 6728, would be refueled in-flight and make a maintenance stop during the flight across the Pacific Ocean to accommodate the physical needs of their pilots and the range limitations of the aircraft, the sources said.
The Facebook page Jake.Woodward.Aero yesterday posted photographs of the single-seat jets with tail Nos. 6727 and 6728 at a Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo courtesy of facebook.com/IDF.Chingkuo via CNA
Under the Peace Phoenix Soaring project, the air force spent NT$247.2 billion (US$7.74 billion) between 2020 and this year to procure the 66 new F-16V Block 70s from the US.
Delivery of all 66 jets was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, but the program was delayed by factors including the relocation and restart of the production line, as well as supply chain disruptions.
Lockheed Martin, which makes the jets, has been running double shifts, with factories running for up to 20 hours a day to accelerate production.
Under the Peace Phoenix Rising project, Lockheed Martin and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (漢翔航空) upgraded all 140 of Taiwan’s F-16A/B Block 20 jets to the F-16V configuration, with the work completed in 2023.
When Taiwan’s F-16 Block 20 jets flew from the US to Taiwan in 1997, the aircraft were refueled in the air 19 times, or about once an hour on average.
The flights were divided into three legs: from Fort Worth to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii; from Hawaii to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam; and from Guam to Chiayi Air Base.
However, the Block 70 jets are equipped with conformal fuel tanks that extend their range, while their technical specifications also differ from the Block 20 jets, meaning the refueling schedule and flight time for the first two aircraft remain to be seen.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
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