Taipei, March 30 (CNA) The F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan will be able to produce more thrust than the upgraded F-16A/B jets currently in use by the Air Force, enabling them to have more weapon mounting capacity, a defense expert told CNA on Saturday.
Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), a researcher at the government-funded think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) said the new jet, known formally as the F-16C/D block 70 fighter jet, is equipped with a General Electric F110 engine.
The afterburning turbofan engine has 29,000 lbs of thrust, he said, far more than the 23,000 lb-maximum thrusts of the engines used in Taiwan’s existing F-16s, according to Shu.
That added thrust translates to more weapon mounting capacity, he said.
Shu gave the assessment when asked by CNA to comment on the difference between Taiwan’s current F-16s and the 66 F-16Vs Taiwan has ordered from the United States, the first of which was unveiled at a delivery ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s production base in Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday.
The ceremony was attended by Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) and Vice Defense Minister Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝), according to photographs published by Congressman William Timmons on the social media platform X.
Based on the photographs of the F-16V released by Timmons, Shu told CNA that the jet is a two-seat F-16D model.
The two-seater has an advanced AESA radar and electronic warfare suite and comes with a US18E ejection seat. It also has a larger air intake than the ones installed in Taiwan’s current F-16s, he said.
Taiwan purchased the 66 F-16Vs as part of an arms sale package approved in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan expects to receive all 66 of the latest F-16 fighter jets from America by the end of 2026.
Once delivered, they will be deployed at the Taitung Air Base in eastern Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Air Force completed the upgrades of its 140-plus F-16A/B fleet to the F-16V format in 2023.
These jets are equipped with more advanced avionics, including APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar, a Helmet Mounted Cueing System, and other flight management and electronic warfare systems.
