Most of the wreckage and recording equipment from a Mirage 2000 jet fighter that crashed into the waters off Hsinchu County on May 20 has been recovered, a senior air force official said yesterday.
The official said that the air force contracted a local company to undertake the operation after the crash, which the jet’s two crewmembers survived by ejecting themselves from the aircraft.
Some of the debris and electronic data have been sent to the jet’s manufacturer, Dessault Aviation, to identify the cause of the crash and the air force expects the French company will complete its analysis by the end of the year, he said.
After the crash, the military deployed naval vessels to locate the wreckage, which was found at a depth of 100m, the official said.
The air force then held an auction for the salvage operation contract, which was won by a Taiwanese company, he added.
The official said the air force had earmarked NT$27.2 million (US$918,000) for the recovery operation.
The Mirage 2000 wreck was one of two crashes that occurred in the same week, with the other being an F-16 that also crashed into the sea.
The air force subsequently grounded all of its F-16s and Mirage 2000s for a short period while it sought to determine the cause of the accidents.
F-16 A/Bs are tasked with the heaviest missions in the air force, which exact a large toll on aircraft that were commissioned 20 years ago, the official said, adding that the jets are starting to develop several problems.
Following the signing of an agreement with the US to upgrade Taiwan’s 144 F-16A/B fighter jets, the air force needs to evaluate if the aircraft are effective for protecting the country’s air space.
According to the air force, five A-class F-16 crashes have taken place between November 2011 and November last year, suggesting growing safety concerns about the aging aircraft.
In addition to the loss of aircraft and crew, these accidents have cost the air force more than US$2 million.
All of the countries that use F-16s have reported problems in the jets’ mission computer systems and engines, the official said, adding that upgrading the aircraft may not resolve all of the problems.
Instead of upgrading the aging planes, the air force should seek to purchase the US’ F-35 joint strike fighter jets, he said.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS