Timeline of key events of Taiwan Air Force F-16 fleetStaff Writer, with CNAThe disappearance from radar of an F-16V fighter jet during a nighttime training mission off eastern Taiwan on Tuesday has renewed attention on Taiwan’s F-16 fleet. 14 April 1997:Taiwan’s first two F-16 fighter jets flew from the United States to Taiwan and were assigned to Chiayi Air Base. 15 May 2013:An F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea near Chiayi Air Base during a training mission, with pilot Wu Yen-ting (吳彥霆) ejecting to safety. 7 Nov. 2020:An F-16 fighter jet disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Hualien Air Base, with pilot Chiang Cheng-chih (蔣正志) declared missing, later formally declared dead. 19 Dec. 2023:Taiwanese company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) upgraded 139 F-16 fighter jets to the F-16V configuration.

Source: Taipei Times January 07, 2026 17:15 UTC