The air force yesterday said it was investigating the accidental firing of a flare from one of its Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jets, also known as the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching Kuo, on Wednesday.
There were no injuries or damages, and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident, the air force said.
The flares, usually used to protect jets against incoming guided missiles, were released in flight, sources said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Over the past few years, there have been several safety incidents in the air force.
In August 2023, during a flight demonstration exercise, strange flames emerged from an IDF jet’s nozzle. At the time, the air force said 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.
In January, a master sergeant died after being sucked into an IDF jet engine, and in February, one aircraft crashed due to double engine failure.
In addition to a landing accident involving an IDF jet in Penghu County 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.
In other news, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that a large number of Chinese military aircraft were detected near Taiwan on Wednesday during China’s “joint combat readiness patrol” drill.
Twenty of the 34 aircraft detected were taking part in the drill, which involved the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air force and navy, the ministry said.
Sixteen of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, while 11 crossed its extension, it added.
The Chinese warplane activity was detected between 6am and 7:20pm, and eight Chinese military vessels and one other ship were detected in the 24-hour period starting at 6am, the ministry said.
The ministry said it has been closely monitoring the situation, and deployed combat air patrol aircraft and coastal missile systems in response to the threats.
The PLA has held 14 joint combat readiness patrol drills this year, including three last month, ministry data showed.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS