On Thursday, 13 November 2025, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published the U.S. Department of State’s approval for a potential sale to the Republic of China (Taiwan) of a package of spare parts and components for Lockheed Martin F-16V multirole fighters and Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, as well as for the domestically built AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighter jets, for up to 330 million USD.
F-16V / Zdjęcie: Ministerstwo Obrony Republiki Chińskiej
According to the published information, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), which officially represents the Republic of China, requested authorization to acquire non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well as maintenance and return support for the aforementioned aircraft types, engineering, technical, and logistics support services provided by the U.S. government and contract vendors, along with other related logistics and program-support elements. All items in the package will be supplied by the U.S. government from Department of Defense surplus stocks.
The Republic of China Air Force (Zhōnghuá Mínguó Kōngjūn, ROCAF) currently operates 141 upgraded F-16A/B fighters brought to the F-16V standard (instead of the planned 143; one airframe was lost), equivalent in equipment and combat capability to the F-16C/D Block 70. Deliveries of the first 66 new-build F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft are expected to begin with delays.
The inventory also includes 20 C-130H transport aircraft, one of which is an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) variant, as well as F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighters, 137 of which were produced by Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) between 1989 and 1999 (103 upgraded aircraft currently remain in service).
In recent months, the United States approved several packages related to Taiwan’s F-16 fleet and other aircraft:
• 29 November 2024 – a package of key spare and repair parts for F-16V aircraft and their AESA radars, worth up to 320 million USD;
• 16 September 2024 – a technical support package for undisclosed aircraft, with an estimated maximum value of 228 million USD;
• 5 June 2024 – a package of standard and non-standard spare and repair parts for the F-16V, totalling 300 million USD.
Earlier, the U.S. had also approved the integration of additional equipment onto Taiwan’s F-16V fleet (IRST sensors, AN/AAQ-33 Sniper ATP and MS-110 MARS pods) and the procurement of additional weapons (AGM-88B HARM, AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM, AGM-84H SLAM-ER, AGM-158 JASSM, AGM-88E AARGM, and AGM-154C JSOW).
See also:
