Taiwan’s air force said its French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jet went missing off the island’s east coast, but the pilot was rescued safely with the help of a parachute. The Air Force said that Lieutenant Colonel Huang Chung-kai was evacuated at around 11.30 am on Monday after reporting a mechanical problem. He said that Huang had taken off from Taitung Airport about an hour ago as a routine training campaign. He was rescued by a rescue helicopter.
Taiwan finds it difficult to procure new equipment amid ageing air force equipment and China’s efforts to isolate the island. He had bought 55 Mirage 2000 aircraft in the nineties amid China’s aggressive stance. Following the incident, some Taiwanese military observers believe it may have been part of a deliberate Chinese strategy to degrade Taiwan’s air defences over time.
Such an incident happened two months ago too.
This is not the first incident of the disappearance of a Taiwanese plane. Two months ago, in January, the country’s most modern F-16V fighter jet crashed in the sea. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the country’s most advanced F-16V fighter jet disappeared from radar after taking off from Chiayi Air Base in southern Taiwan. This fighter aircraft was on a training mission in a coastal firing range. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen called for “every effort” to locate and rescue the plane.
Taiwan is closely watching developments in Ukraine.
A few days ago in Taipei, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said he was closely watching developments in Ukraine. Comparing the situation in Ukraine with the situation in his country, he said that Russia wants to expand its authoritarianism in Europe, while the ambition of the Chinese president is to rejuvenate the nation and build up its army. Wu said that this is a situation that we need to look at carefully.
