Lockheed Martin has presented the first F-16D Block 70 combat trainer aircraft for Taiwan’s Air Force.

U.S. Congressman William Timmons, who attended the official completion ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility, announced this.

“We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” Timmons shared on X.

The aircraft bears the Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan) markings and the tail number “6831.”

It is expected to supplement and partially replace the country’s older F-16B jets, which have undergone modernization to extend their service life and upgrade their technology.

Taiwan and the F-16 Block 70

In 2019, Taiwan signed an $8 billion agreement with the United States to purchase 66 F-16C/D Block 70 fighter jets as part of efforts to modernize its air force.

The deal, formalized on August 14, 2020, between Taipei and Lockheed Martin, became part of the strategy to modernize Taiwan’s air force amid rising tensions with China.

The deal followed a request submitted in February 2019 through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The U.S. State Department sent the proposal to Congress for approval in August 2019.

The purchase is the largest U.S.-Taiwan arms deal since the early 2000s.

The F-16 Block 70 is the latest version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, featuring advanced systems such as the AN/APG-83 AESA radar, upgraded avionics, a modern flight computer, and an extended airframe life of up to 12,000 hours.

Taiwan’s order includes 66 aircraft—a mix of single-seat F-16Cs and two-seat F-16Ds—as well as 75 General Electric F110 engines (including spares), Link-16 communication systems, infrared search and track (IRST) systems, and precision-guided munitions.

The exact number of two-seat F-16Ds in the order has not been publicly disclosed, but based on previous deliveries—such as Taiwan’s 150 F-16A/B Block 20 fighter jets, which included 30 F-16Bs—analysts estimate that 13 to 16 F-16Ds will be included, primarily for pilot training.