US working overtime to speed up delayed F-16 deliveries, Taiwan says

By Ben Blanchard

The United States is working overtime to speed up the production of delayed F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, while advanced U.S.-made glide bombs have also been delayed due to supply-chain issues, the island's defence ministry said on Monday.

Taiwan, which faces a rising military threat from Beijing, has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the United States, the Chinese-claimed island's most important international backer and arms supplier.

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.

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To speed up production, contractors are working two shifts lasting 20 hours a day, the ministry said, adding Taiwan would monitor progress to ensure contractual obligations are met.

Speaking in parliament, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the U.S. 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 this year 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 T$5.46 billion ($178.47 million) and initially expected by 2026, had been postponed to between 2026 and 2028, also due to production line disruptions.

Lockheed, which makes the torpedoes too, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did the Pentagon.

GLIDE BOMBS DELAYED, HIMARS EARLY

The ministry reported delays in the delivery of another weapons system, Raytheon's AGM-154C Joint Standoff glide bombs, which cost T$135.97 billion.

They were initially meant to be delivered by the end of 2026, but are now expected to be delivered from 2027-2028 due to supply-chain problems, it added.

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Raytheon 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 this year, Taiwan test fired for the first time its new HIMARS rocket system, which has been widely used by Ukraine against Russia and could be deployed to hit targets in China if there is a war with Taiwan.