TAIPEI — The Republic of China Ministry of National Defence (MND) has confirmed that the first two newly manufactured F-16 Block 70 (F-16V) multirole fighters (serial numbers 6727 and 6728) have departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, en route to Chihhang Air Base in Taitung. The transpacific ferry flight, supported by aerial refueling, marks the long-delayed initial delivery phase of Taiwan’s $8 billion procurement package covering 66 newly built F-16 Block 70 aircraft under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case “Phoenix Rising.”
The delivery commences over six years after the initial order approval in 2019, following supply chain bottlenecks and production assembly delays at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina facility. The two aircraft originally departed the U.S. mainland on August 17, 2026, remaining in Hawaii for over a month for technical evaluations prior to the final ferry legs across Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to Taiwan. Fitted with conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radars, and modern digital electronic warfare suites, these newly built Block 70 fighters will be assigned to the 7th Tactical Fighter Wing at Taitung to strengthen Taiwan’s Eastern Air Command area of responsibility.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: LOCKHEED MARTIN F-16 BLOCK 70 (F-16V) FIGHTING FALCON
* System Classification: 4.5-Generation Multirole Tactical Combat Aircraft
* Prime Contractor & Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Greenville, South Carolina)
* Primary Customer & User: Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF / Taiwan Air Force — 7th Tactical Fighter Wing)
* Total Program Procurement: 66 newly built F-16 Block 70 airframes (complemented by 139 upgraded F-16V Block 20 airframes)
* Airframe & Dimensional Parameters:
* Overall Length: 15.06 meters (49 ft 5 in)
* Wingspan: 9.96 meters (32 ft 8 in) | Overall Height: 4.88 meters (16 ft)
* Empty Mass: ~9,207 kg (20,300 lbs) | Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW): 21,772 kg (48,000 lbs)
* Auxiliary Fuel Capacity: Fuselage-mounted conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) adding 3,000 lbs of internal fuel without occupying wing hardpoints
* Propulsion Architecture & Performance Envelope:
* Powerplant: 1x General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan engine
* Engine Thrust: 76.3 kN dry / 129.0 kN with afterburner (~29,000 lbf)
* Maximum Speed: Mach 2.0 at altitude (2,120 km/h)
* Ferry Range: 4,220+ km with CFTs and external drop tanks (significantly reducing aerial refueling dependency)
* Service Ceiling: 15,240+ meters (50,000+ feet) | Design Load Factor Limit: +9.0 g
* Avionics, Radar & Sensor Integration:
* Primary Fire Control Radar: Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
* Avionics Core & Display: Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) modular mission computer, high-resolution Center Pedal Display (CPD), and Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS II)
* Electronic Warfare & Self-Protection: L3Harris AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield digital internal EW suite and modern RWR architecture
* Data Links: Link 16 / Tactical Data Link 16 integration for joint C4ISR coalition interoperability
* Ordnance & Armament Suite (11 Hardpoints; Up to 7,700 kg Payload):
* Air-to-Air Ordnance: AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM (BVR active radar) and AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II (WVR heat-seeking)
* Precision Standoff & Anti-Ship Ordnance: AGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, AGM-88B HARM anti-radiation missiles, AGM-154C JSOW, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM)
* Gun Armament: 1x 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon (511 rounds)
