TAIWAN RECEIVES “F-16” AIRCRAFT AFTER 25 YEARS

TAIPEI, OCTOBER 2 /SRNA – RIA Novosti/ – Taiwan has received its first two new F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 25 years, out of a planned batch of 66 aircraft, War Zone reports.

The aircraft arrived on the island after a month and a half of travel from the manufacturing facility in South Carolina.

The delivery was delayed due to unforeseen technical problems in Hawaii, and the aircraft reached Taiwan via Guam.

Implementation of the contract, worth approximately $8 billion, was delayed several times due to supply-chain disruptions, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lengthy finalization of the new Viper Shield electronic warfare system, the report said.

The delivered aircraft are equipped with modern radars and targeting systems that use ultraviolet sensors.

Additional deliveries are expected before the end of the year, while another 63 aircraft are currently in various stages of production and testing in the United States, the newspaper reported.

Beijing considers Taiwan an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China and calls on the United States to halt arms sales to the island and refrain from encouraging tensions in the Taiwan Strait.