The Air Force Command today said it has sent personnel to investigate why an Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jet fired off flares during routine training over Tainan Air Base yesterday.
The incident did not cause any injuries or damage, the air force said.
The flares, usually a defensive measure to protect jets against incoming guided missiles, were released in flight, sources said.
Photo: Su Fang-ho, Taipei Times
In recent years, there have been several safety incidents in the air force.
In August 2023, during a flight demonstration exercise, an IDF experienced strange flames in its nozzle.
At the time, the air force determined that normal engine flames escaped through a gap in the nozzle’s seals.
In September last year, a Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet crashed in a training exercise over waters off Hsinchu County.
More recently, in January, a master sergeant died after being sucked into an IDF jet engine, and the air force grounded all training jets in February after one aircraft crashed following double engine failure.
In addition to a landing accident in Penghu County, also involving an IDF jet, and an emergency ejection from a Mirage 2000 fighter in Taichung, there are reports that the air force has grounded all training flights for its main fleet while it investigates the cause of the incidents.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS