An air force F-16 jet went missing off the east coast of Taiwan last night, and search and recovery operations were ongoing as of press time, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The F-16 disappeared from radar screens at 6:07pm 9 nautical miles (17km) northeast of Hualien Air Base, two minutes after taking off from the base as part of a nighttime training exercise, the ministry said.
The F-16, serial number 6672, was piloted by Colonel Chiang Cheng-chih (蔣正志), it said.
Photo: CNA
A National Rescue Command Center statement said that a Black Hawk helicopter and Coast Guard Administration vessels had been dispatched to the area to locate the aircraft and its pilot.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that night searches are difficult, so she hoped that the public would keep Chiang in their prayers so that the search teams could bring back good news, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) quoted Tsai as saying.
Tsai earlier in the day attended a memorial ceremony to honor air force captain Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍), who died on Oct. 29 when his F-5E jet crashed into the sea after taking off from Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
At the Chihhang base service, Tsai presented a citation to Chu’s widow and thanked the 29-year-old pilot for his dedication and the sacrifices he made to protect the nation.
Chu was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel and air force Commander Hsiung Hou-chi (熊厚基) also presented him with the Order of Loyalty and Valor, which was received by his father.
During the service, four F-5 jets flew the missing comrade formation over the base to pay their respects to their fallen comrade.
Chu is to be interred at the air force Martyrs’ Shrine in New Taipei City.
His F-5E crashed into the sea less than two minutes after taking off from the base at 7:29am on Oct. 29. Although he managed to eject from the plane, he died of his injuries at 9:27am.
The military’s investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Taiwan in 1992 procured a total of 150 F-16s from the US; the first batch was delivered in 1997.
Prior to last night’s incident, there had been seven F-16 crashes during training missions.
Additional reporting by Yang Chun-hui
‘IMPORTANT PARTNER’: The new guidelines aim to encourage US engagement with Taiwan, which reflects a deepening relationship, the US Department of State said The US Department of State on Friday issued new guidelines governing US officials’ interactions with their Taiwanese counterparts, a move welcomed by Taipei as turning a new page in bilateral relations. Shortly before leaving office, then-US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Jan. 9 announced the cancelation of previous contact guidelines, which he said were “self-imposed restrictions” that attempted to appease the Chinese Communist Party regime in Beijing. However, the status of the guidelines has been unclear since US President Joe Biden entered the White House. Asked about the issue during a legislative session on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu
CONFIDENTIAL: The trip had not been made public until just before ex-senator Chris Dodd, and ex-state department officials Richard Armitage and James Steinberg arrived The government yesterday welcomed an “unofficial” delegation sent by US President Joe Biden, while another delegation led by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry was headed to Shanghai. Biden’s first delegation to Taiwan is made up of former US senator Chris Dodd, and former US deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg. They are to stay in Taiwan until tomorrow. Their arrival, on a chartered flight, had been kept confidential until media reported the visit yesterday morning, after which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a short notice that they were expected to arrive at 2:40pm. The flight landed at
‘IDEAL FIT’: A report on Sunday said that the Canadian government threatened to pull its support and funding from the HFX if the award was given to the president The government would respect the decision of the organizer of the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service on whether it plans to award a prize to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. The statement was issued after US Web site Politico reported a day earlier that the Canadian government had warned the Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) not to give the award to Tsai for fear of provoking Beijing. “The ministry believes that if the Halifax International Security Forum confers the prize upon President Tsai, it would be an affirmation and honor for both
EXTREME WEATHER: Due to climate change, there is greater ‘interannual variability,’ meaning Taiwan is experiencing dramatically drier and wetter years, an expert said Despite a “less than ideal” amount of rain this month, the nation’s manufacturers “remain unaffected” by this year’s drought, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday. “It’s true that the weather forecasts for April are not ideal, but by continuing current water restrictions in central Taiwan, there should be enough water until the plum rain season arrives,” Wang said. Taichung and Miaoli County have been on “red alert” since Tuesday last week, with weekly water supplies to households and businesses on for five days and off for two days. Large parts of Taichung’s Deji Reservoir (德基水庫) are nothing but mud due
RSS