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.
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