The first two F-16 Block 70 (F-16V) fighter jets (numbers 6727 and 6728) successfully landed at Taitung Zhihang Base today. This mission adopted a common mission model of "Taiwanese and American pilots flying side by side." Fighter 6728 is flown by a Chinese pilot, and a Chinese flag is displayed in front of the instrument panel.
The first batch of two F-16 Block 70 (F-16V) fighter jets purchased by my country from the United States (aircraft numbers 6727 and 6728) successfully landed at Taitung Zhihang Base today. The most surprising thing is that this long-distance flight across the Pacific Ocean, which spans more than 13,000 kilometers, adopts the unprecedented common mission mode of "Taiwanese and American pilots flying side by side." When the two fighter planes slid into the tarmac, the national emblem of the Blue Sky and White Sun on the fuselage shone brightly in the sun. In front of the cockpit dashboard of one of the fighter planes, a beautiful national flag of the Republic of China was laid out. The atmosphere on the scene instantly boiled!
It is understood that this long-distance flight mission was jointly carried out by pilots from the United States and the Chinese Air Force. The two fighter planes were led by the US pilot piloted by the lead aircraft numbered 6727, and the Chinese Air Force pilot piloted the wingman numbered 6728 closely following. The two set off from Texas, USA, stopping in Hawaii and Guam. This rare "Taiwan-US accompanying" mission not only demonstrated the superb tacit understanding between the pilots of both sides, but also shattered the recent "suspicious theory" with practical actions. This proves that Taiwan and the United States have a high degree of political and strategic mutual trust. The United States has used the most substantive actions to generously send a strong signal that it stands with Taiwan.
Military sources pointed out today that these two fighter jets will only become the property of the Chinese Air Force after they land safely on Chinese territory and are handed over by the Air Force. During the previous flight missions, they are still owned by the United States. If any problems arise, they will be handled by the United States.
The fighter plane number 6727 was flown by an American pilot.
In order to cope with the long trans-Pacific voyage, the "full body equipment" of the two new fighter jets when they landed today has also become the focus of military fans. In addition to the very eye-catching "fit-fit fuel tank" on the back of the aircraft, there are also three large auxiliary fuel tanks mounted on the belly and under the wings to facilitate docking with US military aerial tankers at any time along the way. Interestingly, two pilots flew all the way back from the United States. Where should they put their carry-on luggage and change of clothes? The answer lies on the outside right wing! A closer look at the scene showed that there was a "travel pod" that looked like a missile but was actually designed to hold luggage hung on the right wing of the fighter plane. This attitude of "full fuel tank and packed luggage" was the classic appearance of a standard long-distance overseas flight.
The most touching detail of this flyover mission is the brilliant appearance of the national flags and national emblems of the two countries. Although the national emblem on the tail of the two new fighter jets was temporarily covered when they were in the United States, U.S. staff had removed all the covering stickers before departing for the last flight from Guam to Taiwan. Therefore, when the fighter jet landed in Taitung, the national emblem of "Blue Sky and White Sun" on the vertical tail and wings was unreservedly displayed in front of the Chinese people. What made the scene even more exclaimed was that a flag of the Republic of my country was specially placed in the cockpit of Flight 6728, flown by a Chinese pilot. In this delicate and ingenious way, Taiwan and the United States jointly witnessed this historic handover moment.
As these two new fighter jets equipped with top-level "Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar" have safely arrived in Taiwan, the Chinese Air Force and the US technical team will jointly conduct point-to-point acceptance at the Zhihang Base, and the follow-up replacement training will be officially launched. The addition of this new batch of air combat capabilities will comprehensively strengthen the air defense airspace in eastern Taiwan. This cross-ocean mission jointly completed by Taiwan and the United States pilots was not only a successful pick-up operation, but also wrote a new chapter of great historical significance for future cooperation in Taiwan Strait defense tactics.
