Flight testing of US F-16V jets built for Taiwan begins this month, an air force official said yesterday, but warned of “very serious delays” in delivery.
The US$8 billion deal for 66 warplanes was approved during US President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, with delivery scheduled for 2026.
Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Lee Ching-jan (李慶然) said flight tests of the new fighters would be carried out “earlier” than planned this month.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“For now, 54 aircraft have entered the assembly line, compared with 50 in October. The progress is being accelerated,” Lee said.
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) last month said that Lockheed Martin, the US defense contractor building the jets, had accelerated production, running two shifts every weekday. “There are 50 aircraft on the assembly line at the same time, and some airframes have already completed structural assembly,” Koo said.
Koo said it would be “challenging” for all the aircraft to be delivered in next year.
The F-16V — a fourth-generation multi-role fighter — is a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan’s aging F-16A/B jets. Taiwan finished upgrading 141 older F-16s to the V standard in late 2023.
In other news, Thunder Tiger Group, a Taiwanese drone manufacturer, said it simultaneously operated six SeaShark unmanned surface vessels from a single control station during a sea trial late last month, calling the operation a major milestone in Taiwan’s uncrewed vessel development.
The Taichung-based company said in a statement yesterday that the sea trial at Dapeng Bay in Pingtung County on Nov. 28 showcased its advanced control and artificial intelligence systems, and successfully carried out multiple tactical formations and rapid, second-level maneuvers.
The 6m-long drone boats, named SeaShark, maintained 100 percent connection stability under electromagnetic interference by using a UK-made military anti-interference frequency-hopping communications system, the company said.
The vessels also feature a low-radar-cross-section hull design that reduces its chance of detection, it said.
Thunder Tiger said its SeaShark range carries precision sensors, swarm-control technology, and a stable communications network capable of real-time information exchange and dynamic adjustments.
“The SeaShark series of suicide uncrewed vessels will become the sharpest asymmetric vehicular weapon for defending the Taiwan Strait,” it said.
The company hopes to expand cooperative testing with the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defense to meet operational needs.
The company said it aims to secure a defense contract next year, citing its high localization rate, completed military-specification verification and production readiness.
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