F-16V fighter jets ordered by Taiwan are undergoing ground tests in the United States, as Washington and the American contractor come under pressure to speed up deliveries following criticism of repeated delays.
Photos circulating online in recent days showed at least one Taiwan-bound F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft during taxi and systems checks at a US airfield, offering the clearest public indication yet that the long-delayed programme had entered a substantive testing phase.
Images of the jet bearing the tail number 6831 taxiing at Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina were first posted over the weekend by US-based aviation photography page Owen’s Aviation Photos. It was accompanied by the caption: “First sighting of the Taiwan F-16 Block 70”.
Additional photos showed that, compared with factory roll-out images released in March, the aircraft had now been fitted with conformal fuel tanks – external tanks sitting along both sides of the upper fuselage.
The front-seat test pilot was seen wearing the new HGU-55/P flight helmet equipped with a Scorpion helmet-mounted display and cueing system.
A long dorsal pod mounted along the aircraft’s spine was seen to house various electronic warfare and communications antennas – a feature unique to the two-seat variant – with internal space occupied by the dual cockpit systems.
On Monday, Taiwan’s air force confirmed that the first newly built F-16V Block 70 jets bought by the island had completed initial ground taxi tests in the US, adding that subsequent evaluations were proceeding according to plan.
The air force said it had continued to press the US side to accelerate production while ensuring quality control amid mounting scrutiny from lawmakers over the prolonged delivery delays.
The aircraft are being built by Lockheed Martin under an NT$247.2 billion (US$7.8 billion) deal covering 66 F-16V Block 70 fighters approved by Washington in 2019.
The jets are intended to reinforce Taiwan’s ageing fighter fleet as defence officials warn that mainland China’s military has significantly expanded its ability to rapidly shift from exercises to real combat operations.
Deliveries were originally scheduled to begin in 2023 and completed by the end of 2026. However, supply-chain disruptions and engineering integration delays left the programme significantly behind schedule, with no aircraft delivered to date, prompting sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers.
As timelines repeatedly slipped, the defence ministry initially projected that 10 aircraft would complete assembly and enter testing by the end of this year.
Air force chief of staff Lee Ching-jan told lawmakers this month that the service was using “all available oversight mechanisms to urge the US side to accelerate production and testing while ensuring the aircraft meet operational requirements”.
Lee said that while more aircraft had entered the production line, progress has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions and engineering integration challenges associated with the aircraft’s fully digital systems.
He said the air force had raised “serious concerns” with both the US government and Lockheed Martin, adding that flight testing of Taiwan’s F-16V aircraft was expected to begin once the ground validation was completed.
However, he cautioned that delivering all 66 aircraft by the end of next year would carry a “very high risk”.
Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung has also sought to temper expectations, saying that while deliveries were expected to begin next year, it remained uncertain whether the full batch could be handed over on time.
According to Koo, Taiwan has slowed payments in response to the delays and funds will not be released ahead of delivery.
Recently released information from Lockheed Martin says it has completed delivery of the first batch of F-16 Block 70 fighters to Bulgaria and Slovakia.
Defence officials in Taipei said this could allow production and tests on Taiwan’s aircraft to proceed in full, adding that the contractor was operating two shifts lasting up to 20 hours a day to accelerate output.
The renewed focus on testing comes as Beijing continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Taiwan’s defence ministry has repeatedly warned that the People’s Liberation Army has intensified joint combat drills, with aircraft and naval vessels now routinely operating closer to the island.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including its main international partner, the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Shu Hsiao-huang, a senior analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said the start of ground testing was a necessary – although time-consuming – step while noting that the F-16V Block 70 incorporated a large number of new electronic warfare, radar and avionics systems.
“Before flight testing, these systems must undergo extensive ground tests to ensure they do not interfere with one another,” Shu said. “This phase is essential, but it also takes time.”
Shu added that the aircraft seen in the photos had been fitted with conformal fuel tanks, extending its endurance and freeing up underwing hardpoints for additional weapons – a configuration suited to long-duration patrols and high-intensity conflict.
Compared with Taiwan’s 141 upgraded F-16V Block 20 fleet, the Block 70 jets offer substantially enhanced capabilities, including an active electronically scanned array radar, upgraded mission computers and the option of an integrated electronic warfare suite.
The aircraft are also expected to carry a broader range of precision-guided munitions, including anti-radiation missiles and stand-off weapons designed to suppress enemy air defences, capabilities Taiwan sees as increasingly critical as mainland China expands its missile and air power across the Taiwan Strait. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
