TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The first of 66 F-16V Block 70 jets ordered from the United States will leave the factory in March, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Thursday.

Taiwan has already completed the upgrade of 140 F-16 jets to the more advanced F-16V, in 2023. It also agreed in 2019 to procure 66 new aircraft from the United States for NT$263 billion (US$8 billion).

During a visit to the Legislative Yuan, Koo told reporters that tests on the first of the new F-16V jets were likely to be completed in March, per the Liberty Times. The project has had several delays, with the initial date for the start of delivery first mentioned as the fourth quarter of last year.

Each month, there had been meetings, phone calls or visits to the manufacturing plant to check on the progress of the project, Koo said. In October, the defense minister told lawmakers there were 19 F-16V jets on the production line, with their delivery scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.