Taiwan Welcomes Its First Two F16 Vipers in $8 Billion Deal in Case Beijing Tries To Make Good on its Threats

Free Taiwan is primed for what would be an epic battle in the skies against Communist China with the arrival of a pair of F16V fighters, the vanguard of 66 new F16V’s that are due to arrive over the next two years.They’re in addition to 139 F16V’s already in the inventory of the small island province, reputed as a “porcupine” whose fiercely pointed quills would deter Communist Chinese attack by air and sea. The “V” stands for Viper, a significant upgrade from the F16 Falcons that are a mainstay of the American air force.The arrival of the two F16V’s from Hawaii via Guam, three years behind schedule, was greeted with immense relief by Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, an ardent Taiwan nationalist who has upset Beijing by hinting that Taiwan should be regarded as an independent country, not an island province of the Chinese mainland.“This is an important milestone in strengthening Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” Mr. Lai posted. “It also demonstrates our resolve to bolster self-defense and ensure peace through strength.”Taiwan has agreed to pay $8 billion for the 66 F16V’s but worries that Washington may not fulfil its historic commitment to defend the island against Chinese attack. The worries have escalated since President Trump has held off on signing off on $14 billion in arms purchases, approved by Congress last December, while negotiating with China’s President Xi Jinping over a range of issues, notably tariffs.The Taipei Times quoted the reassuring words of a State Department spokesperson. “We continue to stand with friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance our shared prosperity, security and values — that includes Taiwan,” the spokesperson responded when asked about the planes.The F16 deal, however, dates from seven years ago when Mr. Trump, nearing the end of his first term, was considerably more confrontational toward China than in his latest meeting with Mr. Xi at the White House. The sale was the first under the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act and the Taiwan Assurance Act“Both laws reaffirmed U.S. support for Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and its vital role as a key partner in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy,” said Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Taiwan had decided on the F16, according to CNA, after giving up on the far more expensive F35.Taiwan will have more than 200 F16’s by 2027, the year by which President Xi has said he would bring the province under mainland control.“Yet as 2027 approaches, it appears exceedingly unlikely that Xi is gearing up to employ lethal force any time soon,” writes a China expert in foreign affairs at the Brookings Institution at Washington, Jonathan A. Czin. “Xi has been willing to conduct systematic purges of his military high command, in part because he is not worried about a cross-strait crisis in the near future.”Beijing is pinning its hopes on the next Taiwan election in 2028 when Taiwan voters are likely to have a choice between Mr. Lai and the leader of the Kuomintang, the opposition “Nationalist” Chinese party.The late Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek, the KMT leader who fought Mao Zedong’s Red Army on the mainland, led his defeated forces to Taiwan as the Communists were about to seize control. Now, however, the latter-day KMT in Taiwan aspires to reconcile with Beijing. Therefore, Reuters reports, Beijing is eager “to see the results of Taiwan’s 2028 election, which some Chinese officials hope could usher in a government more amenable to bringing the island under Chinese control.”If war does break out, however, Taiwan will confront a panoply of mainland forces in a David-and-Goliath struggle in which aerial superiority might be decisive and the outcome far from certain.China “holds a decisive overall advantage over Taiwan’s air force, fielding roughly 3,731 aircraft including 2,043 combat types and 234 H-6 bombers against Taiwan’s 686 aircraft and 319 fighters,” says the data base Global Military, but “retains a qualitatively coherent, U.S.-supplied fighter force and the advantages of defending its own airspace.”

Taiwan Welcomes Its First Two F16 Vipers in $8 Billion Deal in Case Beijing Tries To Make Good on its Threats

Taiwan Welcomes Its First Two F16 Vipers in $8 Billion Deal in Case Beijing Tries To Make Good on its Threats

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