The $4.5 billion program to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16s to the Block 70/72 configuration is complete, the U.S. Air Force said, bolstering that country's deterrent to China. Still underway is the provision of 66 new-build Block 70/72s.
The F-16, in service since the 1970s, could be flying with the Air Force into the late 2030s and with foreign air services into the 2070s, based on recently revealed USAF plans and Lockheed Martin's backorder of jets.