my country purchased the first batch of F-16V BLK70 fighter jets, rumored to take off from Hawaii and arrive in Taiwan tomorrow

my country's F-16V BLK70 fighter aircraft number 6727 recently flew in the United States. (File photo, taken by Jake Woodward)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Taipei Report] my country's purchase of 66 F-16V Block70 (BLK70) fighter jets from the United States is about to return to Taiwan. It is confirmed that the first batch of fighter jets took off from Hawaii today. If the weather is stable, they are expected to fly back to Taitung Zhihang Base tomorrow morning. In the future, they will become the main force of the Taitung Seventh Wing of the Air Force and the backbone of Eastern Taiwan's air defense.

The United States finalized the sale of 66 F-16V Block70 fighters to China in 2019. The first batch was originally scheduled to be delivered as early as 2023. Due to delays due to production line arrangements and other reasons, the first fighter completed its acceptance flight test in March this year. After the first batch of fighters arrived in Hawaii in late August, their return to Taiwan was delayed several times due to weather and other factors.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wang Dingyu revealed on Facebook earlier that two F-16V fighter jets that were reportedly stranded in Hawaii for more than a month have taken off for Taiwan today and will return to Taiwan in the next one or two days. It is confirmed that if there are no accidents and the weather is stable, the first batch of fighter jets will return to Taiwan as soon as tomorrow morning.

Compared with the current F-16V Block20 fighter, the newly purchased F-16V Block70 fighter has a longer airframe life and uses an F110-GE-129 engine with a maximum afterburning thrust of 29,500 pounds. It has a conformable fuel tank on the back of the aircraft. It has more advantages than the F-16V Block20 in terms of range, airframe life, thrust, etc.