Taiwan is later this year to take delivery of the first set of new ejection seats for its F-5 jets, which would improve pilots’ chances of survival if they have to eject, the air force said yesterday.
The first shipment of Martin-Baker’s Mk 16 zero/zero ejection capability seats from the US is expected to arrive before the end of the year, air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
He said the full order of 70 seats is scheduled to be delivered by next year, and installation would be completed on all 45 of the air force’s F-5E and F-5F jets by the end of next year.
The F-5E is a single-seat version of the F-5, while the F-5F is a twin-seat model.
The new ejection seats for the F-5 fleet were ordered after military experts said that the current ones should be replaced, as they are outdated.
The recommendation was made during an investigation into the cause of a midair collision between two F-5E jets on March 22, which killed first lieutenant Lo Shang-hua (羅尚樺) and captain Pan Ying-chun (潘穎諄).
Forensic evidence later showed that Lo had died of a brain hemorrhage.
The circumstances of Lo’s death were the same as that of another pilot, captain Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍), who was killed in another F-5E crash on Oct. 29 last year.
Experts said that Lo and Chu were likely killed when they ejected and their heads hit the cockpit hatch because of the outdated design of the F-5E’s ejection seat.
Huang said the military is also planning to purchase at least five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with infrared night vision, to improve aviation safety.
The decision was made after an air force UH-60M chopper crashed in New Taipei’s Wulai District on Jan. 2 last year, killing eight senior military personnel, including chief of the general staff Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴), he said.
Following an investigation, the air force said the Black Hawk helicopter crash might have been caused by a combination of human error and poor weather conditions.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as