TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A rollout ceremony for Taiwan’s first F-16V fighter jet is set to take place on Friday.

The handover is reportedly taking place at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Greenville, South Carolina, where its F-16V production line is based, but neither the Ministry of National Defense nor the Air Force confirmed details of the event, Liberty Times reported.

A Taiwanese delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister Huang You-min (黃佑民) and Air Force vice chief of staff will travel to the US to receive the aircraft.

Taiwan finalized a deal to purchase 66 F-16Vs from the US in 2020 for approximately NT$263.43 billion (US$8 billion). This was in addition to upgrading its 142 older F-16A/Bs to the Viper variant.

Taiwan also opened an F-16 repair hub the same year in preparation for receiving more than 200 F-16s, the largest fleet of its kind in Asia. The construction project cost NT$110 billion and was a joint endeavor by AIDC and Lockheed Martin.

The defense ministry said it monitors the F-16V production progress through monthly teleconferences, project management review meetings, and on-site supervision, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in January. Production is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

According to the Air Force, the 66 F-16Vs will join the 7th Tactical Fighter Wing at Chih Hang Air Base in Taitung. Last week, it announced plans to spend an additional NT$4 billion to extend the training program for F-16V pilots at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona. The new training contract will also cover pilots for the 66 new F-16Vs.