On March 28, 2025, Lockheed Martin held a rollout ceremony at its F-16 plant in Greenville, South Carolina, for two F-16V Block 70 jets destined for Taiwan. The event marked a formal handover to the island, attended by Taiwan's Defense Minister and its representative in the US. Notably absent were senior US defense officials, reflecting the informal nature of US-Taiwan ties.
These jets are part of the "Peace Phoenix Soaring" program, under which Taiwan ordered 66 advanced F-16s—the first new US fighters for the island since 1992, when President George H.W. Bush authorized 150 F-16 A/B models. Those older jets were delivered with downgraded capabilities, and only in 2023 did they complete a US-approved upgrade to the F-16V standard. Even so, their airframes are now over three decades old.
The new F-16s, costing nearly $8 billion, were supposed to be delivered by 2026. But aside from the first two, no further jets have been produced for Taiwan. Lockheed has cited supply bottlenecks and manufacturing issues, yet other customers—Bulgaria, Bahrain, Slovakia, Morocco, and Jordan—have received their Block 70 aircraft without similar delays. The two Taiwanese jets left Greenville in March 2026, seventeen months after the rollout, but were recalled on their final leg from Hawaii and remain parked at Hickam Airfield, with no official explanation.
Beyond production: the political calculus
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has attributed delays to US military production shortages. But that logic doesn't hold for F-16s, which Lockheed moved to Greenville specifically to ramp up output. The pattern extends beyond fighters: Taiwan's $20 billion arms backlog includes delayed deliveries of IRST systems, reconnaissance pods, AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, and advanced air-to-ground weapons like JSOW and Harpoon. Mark 48 torpedoes won't arrive until the end of the decade, and NASAMS air defense systems not until 2031.
There have also been reports of substandard equipment, including moldy body armor and unserviceable machine guns sent in 2024. While global demand for US weapons is high due to Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, Taiwan remains the most volatile flashpoint in East Asia. China continues to rehearse blockade scenarios, with increased Coast Guard patrols and continuous air and naval movements near the island.
The core issue is political. The Taiwan Relations Act (1979) mandates that the US provide Taiwan with sufficient self-defense capability, but successive administrations have interpreted this flexibly. Washington has historically limited Taiwan's indigenous defense efforts, such as when it constrained the range and capabilities of AIDC's indigenous fighter jet.
China's strong opposition to any arms sales to Taiwan, combined with US commitments elsewhere, has created a delicate balancing act. The recent deployment of the USS George Washington away from its Japan base underscores the strain on US forces. As some analysts argue, Washington's delays may inadvertently serve Beijing's goal of weakening Taiwan's defenses.
For Taiwan, the message is clear: even with contracts signed and money paid, delivery is not guaranteed. The F-16s sitting in Hawaii are a symbol of the uncertainty that defines US-Taiwan security relations. As Taiwan's silicon shield faces a race against time, the island's ability to deter China depends not just on what it buys, but on whether it actually receives it.
