The United States is working to accelerate arms supplies to Taipei. Taiwan's Defense Minister, Wellington Gu, announced that Washington had set up a special task force for this purpose.
“The United States has already set up a special project team to accelerate relevant weapons programs and help us catch up with the delivery schedule as soon as possible“, the Taipei Times quoted him as saying.“The United States is truly committed to helping us strengthen our defense capabilities as soon as possible“, Gu assured.“
Taiwan has repeatedly complained about delays in the delivery of weapons ordered by the United States, which has become the island's largest arms supplier. One of the major delays is the delivery of Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets.
Taiwan purchased 66 F-16 Block 70 aircraft (also known as F-16V) from the United States in 2019 as part of a procurement package approved by Washington during President Donald Trump's first term.
Taipei was expected to receive the first batch of the aircraft in 2023, with all the aircraft expected to arrive by the end of 2026. However, for various reasons, the aircraft were never delivered.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense previously said it expected to receive the first batch of these fighters by September this year, but the number of aircraft involved has not yet been specified.