The commissioning ceremony at Chiayi Airbase was attended by Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen, who said the F-16 upgrade project showed the firm commitment of the Taiwan-U.S. partnership.
The ceremony saw the inauguration of the first fighter wing of Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force of ROCAF that have been fully equipped with the upgraded jets, which are designated the F-16V.
Chiayi is the home of the ROCAF’s 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, comprised of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd Tactical Fighter Groups. The 21st Tactical Fighter Group is the unit that has fully converted to the F-16V, with the ROCAF saying the service has 64 upgraded fighters already in its inventory.
This is out of a force of 141 F-16s, which are the survivors of 150 aircraft delivered in the late 1990s comprised of a mix of F-16A single-seat and F-16B twin-seat Block 20 aircraft.