Taiwan's Air Power Gets a Major Boost: First F-16V Rolls Out!

New F-16 Block 70 Joins the Ranks, Strengthening Taiwan's Defense Capabilities.

Taiwan's defense capabilities are set to receive a significant upgrade with the unveiling of its first F-16V fighter jet. Under the "Phoenix Rising Project," a special budget was allocated to acquire 66 F-16C/D Block 70 fighter jets from the United States. The first aircraft has now been completed at Lockheed Martin's facility in Greenville, South Carolina.

Representative William Timmons from South Carolina announced the milestone on his X (Twitter) social media platform. The image also featured Taiwan's Deputy Minister of National Defense, Po Hung-hui, and Representative to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao.

The first aircraft rolled out is a dual-seat F-16D, distinguishable by its prominent electronic warfare pod on the fuselage. This differs significantly from the existing dual-seat F-16B models currently in service. These new F-16s boast more powerful engines and increased take-off weight, and will be equipped with conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) for extended range.

The new F-16s, like the upgraded F-16A/B models, are equipped with the APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Lockheed Martin designates this configuration as the F-16V.