Taiwan halts F-16V training operations after crash

A Lockheed Martin F-16V (Block 20) Fighting Falcon takes off from Hualein Air Force Base, which is a major centre of F-16 operations in Taiwan. This photograph was taken in 2024. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

Taiwan has grounded its Lockheed Martin F-16V (Block 20) Fighting Falcon fleet following the loss of a fighter during a routine training mission on 6 January 2026.

The Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) has suspended all F-16V-related “combat training missions”, although alert and standby duties remain active, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo announced on 8 January. He said the grounding was prompted by the air force's implementation of a special fleet inspection under its Tian'an II (Safe Sky II) programme.

“Special inspections of all F-16V fighter aircraft have now begun and are expected to be completed on 10 January,” Koo added. “There should be no gaps in combat capability.”

Missing F-16V

An F-16V assigned to the RoCAF's 5th Tactical Composite Wing (TCW) went missing off the coast of Hualien while on a night training mission on 6 January. The lost aircraft is the second upgraded F-16V in Taiwan's arsenal to crash, following an earlier loss in January 2022.

According to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND), the pilot, Captain Hsin Po-yi, reported a malfunction of the aircraft's Modular Mission Computer (MMC) before the aircraft disappeared from radar at 0729 h local time.