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.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
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