US working overtime to speed up delayed F-16 deliveries, Taiwan says
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Taiwan has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI - The United States is working overtime to speed up the production of delayed F-16V fighter jets for Taiwan, while advanced US-made glide bombs have also been delayed due to supply-chain issues, the island’s defence ministry said on Nov 3.
Taiwan, which faces a rising military threat from Beijing, has complained of repeated delays
In a report to lawmakers, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the delivery of all 66 F-16V fighters, initially expected to arrive by the end of 2026, had been pushed back due to production line relocations and disruptions.
To speed up production, contractors are working two shifts lasting 20 hours a day, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan would monitor progress to ensure contractual obligations are met.
Speaking in Parliament, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the US and Taiwan were working on the delays and that 50 of the Lockheed Martin aircraft were already on the production line.
Of these, 10 are expected to undergo flight tests in 2025 and be delivered in 2026, he added.
“I think that we all hope the greatest amount of effort can be exerted to speed up the deliveries,” he said.
The ministry also said the delivery of 24 MK-48 torpedoes and four dummy torpedoes, purchased for NT$5.46 billion (S$230.6 million) and initially expected by 2026, had been postponed to between 2026 and 2028, due to production line disruptions.
Lockheed Martin, which makes the jets, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ministry also reported delays in the delivery of another weapons system, Raytheon’s AGM-154C Joint Standoff glide bombs, which cost NT$135.97 billion.
They were initially meant to be delivered by the end of 2026, but are now expected to be delivered from 2027 to 2028 due to supply-chain problems, it added.
Raytheon also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, the ministry said that deliveries of the 29 precision rocket systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or Himars, also made by Lockheed, were ahead of schedule.
The remaining 18 systems still to be delivered are expected to reach Taiwan in the fourth quarter of 2026, versus initial expectations of a 2027 arrival.
In May 2025, Taiwan test-fired for the first time its new Himars rocket system
