TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan expects the delivery of 66 US-made F-16V fighter jets to be completed by the end of 2026, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Koo’s remarks were part of a report to the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, during which Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) asked about the deliveries, per CNA. Koo said the first batch of F-16s would be delivered before year's end and that 19 others are currently in production.
Li expressed concern that Taiwan would need more pilots to ensure adequate manpower once the jets are delivered. Koo said that plans have been made to train more pilots and that this should not be an issue.
Air Force Command Chief of Staff Wang Te-yang (王德揚) said plans for training F16V pilots have been put in place. He said training has been split into three phases. The first phase occurred at the end of 2023, while the second and third will happen in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
According to a Liberty Times report published Sept. 12 that cited an unnamed military official, Taiwan was expected to receive the first batch of the fighters in late September. The same report said 65 Air Force personnel will be sent to the US next year for F-16 training for pilots and seed instructors.
The US approved the sale of 66 F-16Vs to Taiwan for US$8 billion (NT$257 billion) in 2019.