The air force is considering replacing the French-made life vest used by Mirage 2000-5 fighter pilots with a US-made vest that can automatically inflate when the wearer is immersed in water, air force chief General Chen Chao-ming (
"The manually operated French-made life vest won't help save the pilot if the pilot loses consciousness as he hits the water in a crash. The US-made life jacket can inflate automatically to keep the pilot from drowning," Chen said.
The general said this is why the air force is considering replacing its stock of French-made vests with their US counterparts.
Memorial service
Chen made the remarks yesterday in response to media inquiries as he attended a memorial service for an air force pilot killed in the Nov. 14 crash of a Mirage 2000-5 off Hsinchu's coast.
Some news reports said the French-made life vests contributed to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Chang Chien-hsiang (張建翔), although air force investigations did not conclude that Chang died by drowning. Initial investigations indicated that Chang had already suffered serious injuries before he plunged into the water.
Chen yesterday did not make a connection between Chang's death and the life vest, but his revelation of the plan to replace the French-made vest suggests a link between the two.
Chen also announced that all Mirage 2000-5 fighters, which have been grounded for safety checks following the Nov. 14 crash, will resume training flights today. The crash was found to have been caused by engine failure.
All 57 Mirage fighters have been checked thoroughly over the past 11 days at their base in Hsinchu.
Chen did not say whether any problems were found during the comprehensive safety check.
Erich Shih (
A poor choice
"The French-made life vest should never have been adopted. It is a design which does not suit the needs of Taiwan. In an environment where fighter pilots face the constant risk of having to jump into water in the event of a crash, auto-inflate life vests are much more practical," Shih said.
Shih also pointed out what he called another design flaw with the Mirage 2000-5 -- the absence of an on-board emergency power unit (EPU).
"The F-16 fighter plane has an EPU, while the Mirage 2000-5 does not. Without an EPU, the Mirage 2000-5 does not have extra power to restart its engine if the engine stops operating in mid-air," he said.
A series of crashes involving the nation's foreign-made fighter planes has led some to point to the the locally made IDF jet as the air force's safest plane, with an unrivaled record of zero crashes since entering service in 1994.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source