Taiwan’s first F-16 Block 70 fighters seen departing Lockheed factory

Walker

Two of the jets were sighted by a planespotter in Fort Worth, Texas, landing at Lockheed’s F-35 production facility.

The first new-build Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets bound for Taiwan have been seen en route to Asia from the US.

Planespotter Jake Woodward photographed two of the F-16 Block 70 fighters landing at NAS Fort Worth in Texas, home to Lockheed’s sprawling campus that includes the primary F-35 production line.

The jets, which bore registration numbers 6727 and 6728, were in transit from Lockheed’s F-16 production line in Greenville, South Carolina. A third aircraft marked as 6722 was separately filmed landing in Fort Worth.

Notably, conformal fuel tanks are visible on each of the aircraft. Located on the dorsal section of the centre fuselage, the tanks provide increased fuel capacity and added range without sacrificing the aerodynamic performance that comes with using underwing external tanks.

Three external fuel tanks are also visible on each of the F-16s, suggesting preparation for a long-range ferry flight.

Woodward’s photos have been widely shared on various social media sites.

Taipei has an existing order with Lockheed for 66 new-build F-16s at a price of roughly $8 billion. The US defence manufacturer unveiled Taiwan’s first jet in a March 2025 ceremony in South Carolina.

Although the contract was signed in 2020, production issues at the Greenville plant have repeatedly delayed delivery of the first jets, originally planned for 2023. In late 2025, Taiwan’s defence chief said 10 of the country’s new F-16s would be assembled by the end of that year, but that Lockheed was not confident the aircraft could actually be turned over before 2027.

However, the company has been adding staff and increasing work hours at the F-16 line, and current Taiwanese defence minister Wellington Koo said in May that the first jets would fly to Taiwan in the near future, according to the Taipei Times.

The English-language newspaper cites anonymous military sources saying the aircraft will arrive on the island sometime in the third quarter of this year, which includes the period from July to September.

Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The F-16 Block 70 acquisition comes after Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation completed an upgrade programme for 139 Republic of China Air Force F-16s in 2023, taking the jets to the F-16V configuration.

The F-16V is the designation for older jets that have been modernised to effectively match the capabilities of new-build Block 70/72 aircraft.

Upgrades include the Northrop Grumman APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, a more powerful mission computer, modern cockpit displays and avionics, and the option for electronic countermeasure survivability systems.

Taipei also plans to add the life-saving automatic ground collision avoidance systems (Auto-GCAS) to its legacy F-16 fleet. The feature comes standard on new-build Block 70/72 jets.

The post Taiwan’s first F-16 Block 70 fighters seen departing Lockheed factory first appeared on FlightGlobal.

Aviation