The Air Force said that Lieutenant Colonel Huang Chung-kai passed out on March 14 at around 11.30 a.m. after reporting a mechanical fault.
The Air Force said that Lieutenant Colonel Huang Chung-kai passed out on March 14 at around 11.30 a.m. after reporting a mechanical fault.
Taiwan’s air force said one of its French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets appeared to have been lost off the island’s east coast, but the pilot was rescued after parachuting to safety.
The Air Force said Lieutenant Colonel Huang Chung-kai passed out on March 14 at around 11.30 am (0330 GMT) after reporting a mechanical malfunction. Mr Huang took off about an hour ago from Taitung Air Base on a routine training mission, the Air Force said. He was picked up by a rescue helicopter, it said.
Taiwan’s Air Force has faced difficulties procuring aging equipment and replacements, amid Chinese efforts to isolate the island, which it considers its own territory to be captured by force if necessary. It operates 140 US F-16s and 129 homemade IDF fighters, along with 55 Mirage 2000s purchased in the 1990s amid Chinese anger.
Along with the usual problems caused by age, Taiwanese fighters have suffered additional wear and tear from repeated melees to meet Chinese military aircraft that regularly cross into Taiwan’s air defense detection area. . Some military observers believe it may have been part of a deliberate Chinese strategy to degrade Taiwan’s air defense over time.