INTERNATIONAL: The United States is looking for ways to potentially accelerate delivery of Taiwan's next generation of new-build F-16 fighter jets, U.S. officials have announced, bolstering the Taiwanese air force's ability to respond to what Washington and Taipei see as increasing intimidation by China's military.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said they have not yet come up with a solution on how to speed delivery of Block 70 F-16s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and equipped with new capabilities. The aircraft are currently slated to be delivered by the end of 2026.
Taiwan's government has privately expressed its wish for a faster delivery to U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, a senior Taiwanese official has confirmed, as the self-ruled island's air force scrambles jets to intercept increasingly aggressive Chinese military flights.
More missions mean more wear-and-tear on Taiwan's aircraft.
"It's all about risk assessment ... and it's clear where the risks are," the Taiwanese official further said, referring to tensions across the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from mainland China. The F-16 is considered a highly maneuverable aircraft proven in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.
Taiwan is on track to field one of the largest F-16 fleets in Asia once it takes delivery of 66 new-build F-16 C/D Block 70 aircraft under an $8 billion deal approved in 2019. It would bring the island's total number of F-16s, including older versions, to more than 200 by 2026.
Any move to accelerate deliveries of new aircraft could ultimately come down to a determination by Biden's administration that Taiwan's defense needs are more urgent than those of other U.S. allies and partners, according to experts.
The president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, an organization that encourages trade and business ties between the two countries says, “That’s President Joe Biden’s decision. They would have to decide that the threat from China was more important than the threat from Iran or the threat from the Russians."
Lockheed Martin says the Block 70 aircraft are the newest F-16 configuration, with new avionics, a modernized cockpit and an improved engine.
A former senior Pentagon official. Abraham Denmark has mentioned that a move to accelerate the aircraft delivery would be seen in Beijing in part through a political lens.
"It is yet another clear signal of U.S. determination to support Taiwan's ability to defend itself," added Denmark, now an analyst at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank.
