Taiwan receives first US-made F-16V fighter jets

Taiwan received its first US-made F-16V fighter jets on Friday. The two warplanes, made by Lockheed Martin, touched down at Taiwan's air force base in Taitung, on the island's southeast coast. They are part of an $8 billion deal for 66 F-16Vs approved during US President Donald Trump's first term.

The arrival of the aircraft comes as Taiwan awaits Washington's approval of a separate $14 billion arms package that Trump paused after Chinese objections. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it. The jets had been expected in early September after making refuelling stops in Hawaii and Guam, though they reportedly turned back to Hawaii shortly after taking off for Guam.

According to Investing.com, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said there would be other new F-16Vs arriving soon. The delivery is seen as a boost to Taiwan's military capabilities as it faces a rising threat from Beijing. The US approved the $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan in 2019, which will take the island's F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, New Straits Times, Hong Kong Free Press, Investing.com — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.