Delayed F-16 Deliveries to the Republic of China Air Force Are Forcing Compensation Claims

The Republic of China Ministry of National Defence has raised concerns over the delayed delivery of 66 F-16C/D Block 70 fighter fighter aircraft by the United States, which were ordered under an $8.2 billion contract in 2019 and initially expected to complete deliveries in 2027. Responding to the delays in deliveries, Premier Cho Jung-tai stated that the government did not rule out “taking legal action against the manufacturer.” He noted, however, that the deal was executed through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process which does not provide for direct compensation claims. “Only under Direct Commercial Sales could we pursue such claims,” the minister added, noting that plans were nevertheless underway to request repayment for the delayed delivery period.

The Republic of China Ministry of National Defence is by far the largest client for the F-16 Block 70/72, a program which was developed exclusively to target export markets of states which for political or economic reasons are not able to acquire the modern F-35A. On May 4, 2023, Republic of China Minister of Defence Chiu Kuo-cheng announced that the F-16s would be delivered a year late, with deliveries beginning in the second half of 2024. The minister elaborated that Taipei had requested the U.S. work to “make up the deficiency,” and was “minimising the damage.” In early June 2025 it was confirmed that the United States had further delayed F-16 deliveries, with number of Taipei-based media sources have reported that it remained uncertain to what extent delays would continue throughout the remainder of the year. The Republic of China Air Force had by then confirmed that systems integration issues in the United States have slowed the pace of production and deliveries.

Only one fighter, F-16D number 6831, has been delivered so far, and while the Republic of China Air Force previously estimated that ten of the aircraft would be delivered in 2025, officials have conceded that this now appears highly unlikely. Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Lee Ching-yen told the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that the cause of delays was “supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages at Lockheed Martin, and hardware-software integration testing,” adding that the ministry was reassessing the overall schedule and adjusting payment milestones to ensure payments were not made for undelivered equipment. Taipei’s heavy reliance on the United States for political support, and the reluctance of other countries to consider fighter sales due to its status as effectively a non-state actor, have nevertheless placed it in a weak position to demand compensation.

Arms sales to the Republic of China have been controversial, as while Taipei has continued to claim to be the sole government of the entire Chinese nation, it has no recognition at the United Nations and is not recognised by the overwhelming majority of UN member states including the United States. The decision to purchase F-16s has itself been controversial domestically, as even the modern Block 70 variant has for years been considered obsolete if facing the Chinese mainland’s very high performing fifth generation fleet, and moreso when the mainland begins to operationalise sixth generation fighters in the early 2030s. The F-16 is a fourth generation fighter that first entered service in 1978, with the F-16 Block 70 variant considered the United States’ cheapest and most conservative ‘4+ generation’ fighter type, the capabilities of which lag far behind the modern F-35.

The decision to supply F-16s was largely a result of tensions between the United States and the Chinese mainland under the first Trump administration, although Washington still rejected efforts by Taipei to procure the F-35. Efforts by Taipei to order F-16s and F-35s under the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations had notably previously both ended in failure, which makes the latest F-16 order the Defence Ministry’s first for foreign fighter procurement since the 1990s. The fighters are considered to be urgently needed to replace the Air Force’sFrench supplied Mirage 2000 fighters, which have suffered from extreme crash rates and obsolescence issues, with over ten percent of the aircraft having been lost in accidents.