Lockheed Martin Struggles With F-16 Deliveries to Taiwan and Morocco
Lockheed Martin is struggling to deliver Taiwan’s 66 newly ordered F-16 Block 70 fighter jets under an $8 billion procurement program, while Morocco simultaneously awaits its own order of 25 advanced jets by 2027, according to Business Insider Africa.
Taiwan F-16V Delivery Delays and Trans-Pacific Transport
Taiwan’s long-delayed military acquisition program suffered a fresh logistical test when its first two newly built Block 70 fighters failed to complete their trans-Pacific journey on schedule, according to Taiwan News. Taiwan News reported that the two aircraft, bearing serial numbers 6727 and 6728, departed from the continental United States on August 17 but had not reached Taiwan after passing through Hawaii. The jets were initially expected on August 28, but aviation enthusiasts waiting at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung did not see them arrive by August 30, and the military had not announced a precise arrival date by September 3, as cited by Taiwan News.
Sources familiar with the matter told Focus Taiwan that the two jets made a maintenance stop and relied on in-air refueling during their flight to manage range limitations and pilot needs. Unlike Taiwan’s older Block 20 aircraft, which required 19 in-air refuelings during their 1997 delivery flight, the new Block 70 variants feature conformal fuel tanks designed to extend flight range, though exact transit specifications remained unverified by military officials.
The aircraft are part of the “Peace Phoenix Soaring” project, an NT$247.2 billion ($8 billion) undertaking approved in 2019 through which Taiwan’s Air Force procured 66 new F-16V Block 70 jets from the United States between 2020 and 2026, according to Focus Taiwan. Deliveries fell behind schedule due to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the relocation of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production line to its Greenville facility in South Carolina, Focus Taiwan reported. To accelerate output, the manufacturer operated two production shifts, with operations running for up to 20 hours a day, though Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo acknowledged in October 2025 that meeting the end-of-2026 completion target would prove difficult.
Once the initial two aircraft clear acceptance checks, integration, and training, they will add operational capacity to an air force that previously worked with Lockheed Martin and Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. to upgrade 140 existing F-16A/B Block 20 jets to the F-16V configuration by December 2023 under the “Peace Phoenix Rising” project, Focus Taiwan noted. The upgraded and new jets feature the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, which incorporates fifth-generation fighter radar technology for enhanced detection and targeting.
Morocco Production Timetable for Advanced F-16 Fleet
Lockheed Martin is also managing production for international partners outside East Asia, with Morocco preparing to receive 25 new F-16 Block 72 fighters in a deal valued at approximately $4.2 billion, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027, according to Médias24. Médias24 reported in July that the first aircraft destined for the Royal Moroccan Air Force has left the production line and was undergoing ground testing. The procurement runs alongside a modernization program to upgrade Morocco’s 23 existing F-16 fighters to the same technological standard, giving Rabat a planned fleet of 48 modernized aircraft. While reports indicated some local frustration over potential delivery delays and inquiries into possible compensation, Médias24 confirmed that the current delivery timetable remains aligned with the original contract terms.
