Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries.
Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity.
F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) pilots are receiving F-16 training in the US to serve as seed instructors, the official said, adding that the program was allocated a budget of NT$36.7 million.
A delegation of Taiwanese Defense Mission to the US, air force generals and F-16 seed instructors are to attend an event marking the roll-off of the jets from the assembly lines, they said.
The late delivery of the jets sparked grave concerns among the involved parties, as two project managers had been sacked by Lockheed Martin and multiple Taiwanese liaison personnel were fired, Ministry of National Defense officials have said.
Taiwan has placed orders on virtually every type of aerial weapon and equipment used by the US Air Force for F-16 jets, including air-to-air missiles, anti-radiation missiles, precision-guided bombs, reconnaissance pods and forward-looking infrared systems.
The list of items Taiwan aims to obtain reportedly includes AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, but officials to date have refused to confirm or deny the rumors.
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