The F-16 Fighting Falcon is by far the most widely used Western fighter class in the world, with more than 4500 having been built since the 1970’s and over two dozen air forces operating or having operated them.
Although the U.S. Air Force ceased orders in 2005, and several countries have begun to draw down their fleet sizes as the Falcon increasingly borders on obsolescence, the fighter nevertheless remains in production for export to lower end clients unable for political or economic reasons to field the F-16’s fifth generation successor the F-35.
In contrast to its status today, the F-16 was a much sought after asset during the 1980s and 1990’s in particular when its capabilities were considered state of the art, despite it having been designed as a lighter and cheaper counterpart to the heavyweight F-15 Eagle with an emphasis on low operational costs and maintenance needs.
At the time one of the most controversial F-16 sales would see the Falcons deployed to Chinese territory, with the Republic of China Air Force having sought to acquire the aircraft since the 1980’s and gaining permission to acquire 140 air frames the following decade to form two large fighter units.
The circumstances under which this sale was made related closely to the status and international recognition of the Chinese state and the nature of the Chinese Civil War which at the time had been technically ongoing for over half a century.
The end of the Cold War in 1989, and reduction in the importance of ties to Beijing as a counterweight to the Soviet Union, opened new opportunities for the United States to supply arms to the Republic of China.
Arms sales to the ROC have thus been widely equated with sales to a non state actor.
The F-16 will continue to fly for the Republic of China Air Force for decades to come, as a legacy of the still technically ongoing Chinese Civil War, with Taipei having ordered a further 66 F-16’s in 2019 under an $8.2 billion contract.
This represented the first order for new ROC fighters in over 20 years. The propensity of ROC pilots to defect to the PRC has been one reason why more capable jets than the F-16 have not been supplied.
Opportunities for F-16 sales, and the F-16’s presence at airfields in China, is thus a direct result of the Chinese Civil War’s ongoing nature.
Whether the ROC will receive any further fighter classes will depend on both the state of Sino-U.S. relations and on how long the division of China between two rival governments will continue.
Military Watch Magazine / ABC Flash Point News 2022.
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