The United States has no plan to send F-16 fighters scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan to Poland instead as reported by an American media outlet, Taiwan's military said Monday.
The Air Force's comments came after the New York Times reported earlier in the day that the Biden administration is discussing ways to supply Polish Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, amid President Volodymyr Zelensky's plea for more lethal military aid, as Ukrainian pilots are more familiar with Russian-made jets.
One potential solution is to provide U.S-made F-16 planes to Poland as replacements, the report said, "but Polish officials seemed less than enthusiastic."
Moreover, it added, the next tranche of F-16s for export are set to go to Taiwan, and American officials are reluctant to delay them.
The Air Force dismissed the report as "pure speculation." It said in a press release that it has been assured by the U.S. that there is no such plan.
"The Air Force is in close contact with the U.S. side to ensure the weapons system is delivered to Taiwan on schedule," the Air Force added.
The U.S. government in 2019 approved the sale of 66 F-16Vs in an US$8 billion deal, with delivery expected to start in 2023.
The 66 F-16Vs will be deployed at the Taitung Air Base in eastern Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Taiwan is also currently upgrading its 100-plus F-16A/B fighter jets to the more advanced F-16V format.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel