Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed that the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China has requested to buy advanced F-16V fighter aircraft from the United States.

According to several media reports, the Government of Taiwan has requested a possible sale of F-16V fighter aircraft to increase its capacity to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.

During a visit to the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) Elementary School Alumni Association of the United States and Canada, Tsai stressed that the new F-16V fighters have irreplaceable advantages in performance, logistics, and maintenance.

People familiar with the talks said Taiwan plans to procure 66 new F-16V fighter jets.

Early Taiwanese Deputy Minister of National Defense Shen Yi-ming told reporters that the request for new fighters had been submitted, with the U.S to advise on the type and number of fighter jets that would be required to meet the country’s operational needs.

Speaking at a separate event, the head of the Taiwanese Air Force Command Headquarter’s Planning Division, Maj. Gen. Tang Hung-an, confirmed this, citing for reporters the recently submitted letter of request to the U.S. to buy a batch of fighter jets.