Taiwan Air Force receives first pair of F-16 Block 70 jets

The Republic of China Air Force has received its first pair of F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft, marking a long-awaited delivery following decades of diplomatic and political hurdles. The arrival brings two of the 66 advanced jets ordered by Taiwan, though persistent questions remain over how vulnerable island air bases will sustain wartime fighter operations.

Production delays, U.S. presidential administrations, and evolving cross-Strait security calculations stalled the procurement for years. The delivery highlights a decades-long struggle by Taipei to secure modern American air defense assets amid shifting diplomatic recognitions and strategic limits imposed by Washington.

Decades of Rejected Arms Requests and Shifted Alliances

Taiwan’s pursuit of advanced U.S. fighters began in the 1970s as its fleet of F-100 and F-104 combat aircraft approached obsolescence. Washington rejected Taipei’s initial requests for F-16s in 1978, opting instead for additional F-5E/F aircraft as the U.S. moved toward diplomatic normalization with mainland China.

The termination of the U.S.-ROC Mutual Defense Treaty on January 1, 1980, appeared to close the door on major new fighter sales. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act established a policy to provide defensive arms, but actual sales remained subject to presidential and congressional discretion.

President Ronald Reagan rejected subsequent Taiwanese requests for the F-5G and the lower-performance F-16/79 export variant. President Reagan institutionalized the arms sales friction in 1982 through the Third Communiqué, which pledged that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan would not exceed recent levels and would gradually decline over time, conditioned on Beijing maintaining a peaceful approach.

Taiwan Buys F-16s After Developing Indigenous Fighter

Faced with U.S. restrictions, Taiwan pursued alternative paths, including the development of the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter with extensive American industrial assistance. Geopolitical alliances shifted again with the end of the Cold War.

In September 1992, President George W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16A/B aircraft to Taiwan. The move was justified in part by China’s acquisition of Russian Su-27 fighters, alongside domestic political considerations surrounding Texas aerospace employment during an election campaign.

Subsequent Taiwanese campaigns for 66 new F-16C/D aircraft repeatedly foundered after 2006 amid U.S. concerns regarding cross-Strait stability, Taiwan’s defense budgeting, and broader bilateral ties with Beijing. The Obama administration instead approved a major modernization program for 145 existing ROCAF F-16A/B jets.

Taiwan Adopts F-16 Block 70 Fighter Aircraft

Taiwan also explored more radical fighter solutions, with Defense Minister Yen Teh-fa stating in March 2018 that future aircraft should possess short-takeoff-and-landing capabilities, pointing to the F-35B as a candidate. Attention ultimately shifted back to the F-16 Block 70, leading to formal approval by the Trump administration in 2019.

The arrival of the new aircraft unfolds against a growing consensus that Taiwan cannot match China on a system-for-system basis. Analysts and defense planners continue to debate whether the island’s exposed air bases can maintain effective fighter sorties under intense wartime missile attacks.

It remains unknown how the Republic of China Air Force will protect these high-value assets from preemptive strikes.