Taiwan receives first Block 70 F-16

The first Block 70 for Taiwan seen at the delivery ceremony at the Lockheed Martin facility in Greenville, SC.

Report by Robin Polderman, photo from X-account SC Congressman William Timmons

In a delivery ceremony at Greenville, SC, on Friday 28 March 2025, the first Block 70 F-16 for the Taiwanese Air Force was revealed.

Taiwan ordered a total of 66 Block 70 aircraft in a contract signed in 2019, for initial delivery in 2023. However, the COVID pandemic, as well as the relocation of F-16 production from Fort Worth, TX, to Greenville, has pushed back the date of delivery.

It will take another few months before the first Block 70 F-16s will actually arrive in Taiwan. This will make Taiwan the fourth country to receive the Block 70/72 F-16, following Bahrain (March 2024), Slovakia (July 2024), and Bulgaria (set to receive its first two Block 70 F-16s at Graf Ignatievo airbase on 2 April).

One feature of the Block 70/72 airframes, clearly visible in the picture of twoseat F-16 serial 6831, is the new Martin Baker US18E ejection seat, replacing the ACES II. The new seat is a variant of the US16E ejection seat used in the F-35, incorporating the latest in pilot egress technology.

According to the country’s Ministry of National Defence, Taiwan anticipates the 66th, and last, Block 70 F-16 on order will be delivered before the end of 2026.