Taipei commissioned its first squadron of US-made F-16V fighters in November
Taipei, Taiwan:
Taiwan’s air drive stated it had launched a rescue operation to find certainly one of its most superior F-16s after the fighter jet vanished from radar screens on Tuesday.
The jet disappeared round half an hour after taking off for a routine coaching flight from a base within the southern metropolis of Chiayi, the air drive stated in a press release.
Taiwan’s nationwide rescue centre reported that individuals noticed the F-16V “crashing into the ocean,” including that two choppers and one coastguard vessel had been dispatched to seek out the jet.
President Tsai Ing-wen has ordered an all-out rescue effort and requested for readability round the reason for the incident, her workplace stated.
Taipei commissioned its first squadron of US-made F-16V fighters in November in an effort to improve its ageing fleet as tensions with China proceed to intensify. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as a part of its territory and has vowed to take it sooner or later, by drive if mandatory.
The F-16V is an upgraded and rather more refined model of the island’s different F-16 fighters which date again to the Nineteen Nineties.
The air drive has suffered a string of deadly accidents in recent times as its jets are saved beneath rising strain from China.
Taiwan additionally has French-made Mirage jets and its personal indigenous warplanes.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
