The air force is to replace 33 F-5 jets at Taitung County’s Chihhang Air Base within three years, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday, one day after a jet from the fleet crashed into the sea north of the base, killing its pilot.
Yen made the remarks during a visit with the family of pilot Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍), 29, who managed to eject from the aircraft before it crashed shortly after takeoff, but later succumbed to his injuries.
The air force is phasing out its F-5 fleet, which would be replaced by indigenous advanced jet trainers being built by the government-funded Aerospace Industrial Development Corp, Yen said.
The military expects to receive 66 of the new trainers by 2026, he said.
In light of the incident, Yen said that he would prioritize replacing the F-5s based in Taitung, before replacing the remainder of the fleet at Kaohsiung’s Gangshan Air Base.
Chu’s mother on Thursday said the advanced age of the planes might have been a factor in the crash.
Taiwan’s F-5 jets were delivered in 1980 and retrofitted by their US manufacturer between 1994 and 2000, when they were given an estimated lifetime of 14,779 flight hours, he said.
The average for planes in the fleet is 7,825 flight hours, meaning that with proper maintenance they remain safe to fly, he said, adding that F-5s are still used in 26 countries, including the US.
The jet Chu was flying at the time of the crash had an accumulated flight time of 6,260 hours and underwent routine maintenance from September to December last year, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
Regarding the military’s investigation into the incident, Yen said that a navy minehunter ship and a private contractor are working to salvage the wreckage.
Only after the plane is recovered would investigators be able to determine the cause of the crash, he said.
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