Deliveries of US F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, which have suffered delays, will begin this year.
US factories where they are assembled will operate at “full speed”, Taiwan’s defence ministry said after a visit by senior Taipei officials to the US, Reuters reported.
Taiwan, which faces a growing military threat from Beijing, has complained of repeated delays in US arms deliveries, including F-16V fighter jets.
In 2019, the US approved an $8 billion deal to sell F-16 fighter jets to “Lockheed Martin” (Lockheed Martin) for Taiwan. This will bring Taiwan's F-16 fleet to more than 200 aircraft, although the project has been plagued by problems, including software issues.
Taiwan's Vice Defense Minister Hsu Su-chien, accompanied by Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Tien Chun-yi, visited the Lockheed Martin plant in South Carolina on Monday, where F-16V fighters are assembled, to inspect the first aircraft for Taiwan, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday evening.
Deliveries will begin this year, the ministry said, without giving further details.
“Lockheed Martin“ has hired several hundred people to assemble the remaining aircraft and “there are no difficulties in either the supply of parts or the labor hand; production is running at full capacity“, the statement added.
“Lockheed Martin“ said it was committed to “providing advanced deterrents to support Taiwan's security objectives“.
“We continue to work closely with the U.S. government to expedite deliveries where possible“, the statement said.
Because the F-16V is a new configuration specifically designed for Taiwan, extensive test flights are still needed to fine-tune its systems, and the tests must be conducted carefully, the Taiwanese ministry explained.