Article Summary – Taiwan’s air force is doubling down on the upgraded F-16V “Viper,” with 144 fighters either modernized or on the way.
-Critics argue the 4.5-generation jet can’t compete with China’s stealthy J-20 and future J-35, but the PLAAF still relies heavily on non-stealth fighters the Viper is built to fight.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, descends after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, over the Adriatic Sea, Aug 7, 2025. The F-16 is a compact, highly maneuverable multi-role fighter aircraft with robust air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Campbell)
-With an AESA radar, new mission computer, EW suite, and extended airframe life, the F-16V can kill Chinese bombers, transports, and invasion shipping as well as enemy fighters.
-It isn’t stealth, and it isn’t enough on its own—but it remains a lethal centerpiece of Taiwan’s air defense.
Taiwan’s F-16V: Ready to Take on China’s PLAAF or Hopelessly Lost Without Stealth?
According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft WDMMA), Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF; Zhōnghuá Mínguó Kōngjūn) has 490 aircraft in its inventory, ranking it 32nd out of 129 individual air services of 103 countries tracked by the site.
Regarding the ROCAF’s current fighter jet fleet in particular, the most famous and prestigious warbird in that arsenal is the American-made Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, 144 of which either have already been upgraded or are slated for upgrade to the latest and greatest variant, the F-16V “Viper.”
The question is: Does the F-16V make Taipei truly ready to take on the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), or is it hopelessly lost and obsolescent vis-à-vis the PLAAF’s stealth fighter arsenal?
Secretary of the Army, Hon. Dan Driscoll, flies in an F-16 assigned to the 121st Fighter Squadron, 113th Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard in a familiarity flight at Joint Base Andrews, MD, May 29, 2025. As the Secretary of the Army, Hon. Driscoll has been delegated the responsibility of command of the District of Columbia National Guard by the President of the United States. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Resnick)
Sidebar Semantic Note
For the longest time, the Fighting Falcon’s crew dogs (pilots, weapons systems officers [“Wizzos”], and maintainers alike) have affectionately dubbed it “The Viper” in honor of the fighter spacecraft in the TV series Battlestar Galactica (the original series starring Dirk Benedict and Lorne Greene, that is, not the 1990s reboot starring Edward James Olmos).
However, the F-16V is the first iteration to *officially* be named the Viper, which is even more apropos in light of the letter “V” portion of its alphanumeric designation.
Stacking Them Up: ROCAF F-16V vs. the PLAAF Fighter Fleet
To be sure, the Viper, being a 4.5 Generation fighter, is at a distinct technological disadvantage against the PLAAF’s 5th Generation Chengdu J-20 Weilong (“Mighty Dragon;” NATO reporting name “Fagin”) and the up-and-coming Shenyang J-35. (Which is a compelling argument for selling the F-35 to Taipei, seeing how 19 of America’s other allies have already bought that American stealth plane, but that’s an argument for a separate article.)
A F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 35th Fighter Wing takes off at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 21, 2022 during the Japanese-American Friendship Festival. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, this year festival marks the first time Yokota has held the annual event since 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe)
However, it should be remembered that Gen 5 jets do not comprise neither the majority nor even the plurality of Beijing’s 1,975-strong fighter fleet. The PLAAF still relies on plenty of 4th Generation and older fighter jets for which the F-16V is quite well-matched technologically (if not in sheer numbers), such as:
-The J-10
-The J-7 (basically a Chinese version of the mid-1950s vintage MiG-21 “Fishbed”)
-The J-16
-The J-11
-The JH-7A
-The J-8
-The Sukhoi “Flanker” variants, namely the Su-27, Su-30, and Su-35
Beyond Fighter vs. Fighter
In any event, it must be remembered that there’s much more to fighter plane duties than engaging the enemy’s own fighters.
Though it might be hard-pressed to intercept the PRC’s prospective 6th Generation H-20 bomber, the Viper would be ideally suited to hunt down older bombers like the H-6.
It could also go after the PLAAF’s slow, lumbering transport planes, such as the Xi’an Y-20 Kunpeng AKA Pàng niū (“Chubby Girl”) that the PRC would need to airdrop paratroopers during an invasion of Taiwan.
And let’s not forget that the F-16 also excels in strike missions against surface targets (as was first demonstrated by the Israeli Air Force during Operation Opera, AKA Operation Babylon, back in 1981).
Presumably, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would necessitate an amphibious assault on the island’s beachheads, in which case the Viper could absolutely ravage the PRC’s landing craft as they attempt to disgorge infantry troops.
One need look no further than Ukraine for a prime example of how the F-16 still plays a vital role even when facing an adversary with stealth fighters.
Granted, Russia hasn’t yet used its Gen 5 Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon” in air-to-air engagements against the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Povitryani syly Zbroynykh syl Ukrayiny [PS ZSU]) yet. Still, in the meantime, F-16s have been an invaluable addition to Ukraine’s fight for survival against Vladimir Putin’s never-ending aggression.
This was most aptly demonstrated back in January when a PS ZSU F-16 jet jock shot down six Russian cruise missiles in what has been described as a historic first by Kyiv.
The upgrades for the Viper include:
-AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar – which provides the 4.5 Generation Viper with 5th generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars (coincidentally, both the F-22 and F-35 are also Lockheed Martin products, though Northrop Grumman actually builds the SABR radar)
-New mission computer and electronic warfare suite
-Automated ground collision avoidance system, and various cockpit improvements
-50 percent greater airframe structural longevity than in previous models
-Reduced radar cross-section (RCS), which, though still not a true stealth capability, is very true to form for a 4.5 Gen fighter
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (with a concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
