World’s largest defence company struggles to deliver Taiwan’s 66 F-16 fighter jets worth $8 billion as Morocco awaits its own 25 advanced jets

Taiwan’s long-delayed F-16 programme has suffered another setback after its first two newly built Block 70 fighters failed to complete their journey across the Pacific.

The delay comes as the United States continues to strengthen Taiwan’s military despite repeated warnings from China over arms sales to the island.

Taiwan News reported that the two aircraft, serial numbers 6727 and 6728, left the continental United States on August 17 but had yet to arrive in Taiwan after reaching Hawaii.

The jets were expected to arrive on August 28, but did not appear, and by August 30, aviation enthusiasts were still waiting outside Chihhang Air Base in Taitung for the aircraft.

By September 3, the fighters had still not reached the base, while Taiwan’s military had yet to announce an exact arrival date.

Taiwan News noted that the aircraft must first arrive, undergo acceptance checks, be integrated and used for training before they can add operational capacity to the air force, adding: “What happens to these first two jets may indicate what the remaining 64 will face.”

The latest setback adds to delays affecting Taiwan’s NT$247.2 billion ($8 billion) “Peace Phoenix Soaring” programme, approved in 2019, to acquire 66 new F-16 Block 70 fighters from the United States.

Focus Taiwan reported that all 66 aircraft were initially expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.

However, the programme fell behind schedule after COVID-19 disrupted supply chains and Lockheed Martin transferred F-16 production to its Greenville facility in South Carolina.

The manufacturer later introduced two production shifts, with operations running for up to 20 hours a day to increase output.

By October 2025, Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo had acknowledged that completing delivery of all 66 aircraft by the end of 2026 would be difficult.

The new F-16V fighters are equipped with the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, which uses technology derived from fifth-generation fighter radar systems to improve detection, tracking and targeting.

Taiwan is not the only US partner waiting for new-generation F-16s. In Africa, Morocco is preparing to receive 25 new F-16 Block 72 fighters under a deal valued at about $4.2 billion, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027.

Médias24 reported in July that the first aircraft destined for the Royal Moroccan Air Force had already left the production line and was undergoing ground testing.

The programme also includes upgrading Morocco’s 23 existing F-16s to the same technological standard, eventually giving Rabat a fleet of 48 modernised F-16s.

Morocco has also faced reports of frustration over delivery delays, including claims that Rabat was considering seeking compensation from Lockheed Martin.

However, Médias24 said the current timetable remains broadly in line with the original contract, which provides for deliveries to begin in 2027.