Also in The Times.
Combat jet crash shakes Taiwan’s hopes of fighting off China in the air
One of Taiwan’s most advanced fighter jets crashed into the sea during combat training yesterday, dealing a blow to the self-governed island’s hope of using the warplanes to boost its defence against rising threats from Beijing.
Rescuers found debris of the F-16V fighter this morning, but they were yet to locate its pilot, Captain Chen Yi.
The jet disappeared from radar screens at 3.23 pm on Tuesday, about 30 minutes after it took off from Chiayi Air Base in the southwest on a routine training mission with one other aircraft. Weather conditions were good and there was high visibility at the time.
The island has since grounded all of its 140 F-16s to conduct safety checks, and Tsai Ing-wen, the president, ordered an investigation into the crash, the first involving a jet of its kind.
Taiwan has signed a deal with Lockheed Martin, the US defence firm, to upgrade all its 141 F-16A/B fighter jets by 2023 as the island seeks to boost its defence capabilities against China, which considers the island part of its own territory and has threatened to unify with it, by force if necessary, to achieve national unity.
Since September 2020, China’s air force has been sending warplanes into airspace near the island almost on a daily basis. In response, Taiwan is in talks with Washington, which has a security pact to supply the island with sufficient military hardware and technology to fend off any mainland invasion, to upgrade its equipment and strengthen combat training.
After news of the crash emerged, Beijing dismissed the Taiwan government as “not knowing its abilities” in its attempt to seek independence by force.
“It will not only seriously damage the well-being of the Taiwanese people but will also exacerbate tensions and turmoil in the Taiwan Strait, pushing the Taiwanese people into a dangerous situation,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said yesterday.
Sadly it seems an 'RIP' is needed.