Taiwan Deploys Advanced F-16V Fighter Jets Amid China Threat

Taiwan Deploys Advanced F-16V Fighter Jets Amid China Threat
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen poses for photos during a ceremony to commission into service 64 upgraded F-16V fighter jets at an airforce base in Chiayi in southwestern Taiwan on Nov. 18, 2021. Johnson Lai/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

CHIAYI, Taiwan—Taiwan has deployed the most advanced version of the F-16 fighter jet in its air force, as the self-ruled island steps up its defense capabilities in the face of continuing threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which claims it as part of its territory.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen commissioned into service 64 upgraded F-16V fighter jets at an air force base in Chiayi on Thursday. The aircraft represent part of Taiwan’s total 141 F-16 A/B jets, an older model from the 1990s that will be completely retrofitted by the end of 2023.