Taiwan Fighter Jet Crashes, Fueling Worries About Aging Fleet
- F-5 jet missing off island’s eastern coast; pilot dead
- Chinese air force making regular incursions near Taiwan
Taiwan’s Northrop Grumman-built F-5s have been in service since the mid-1970s and are now predominantly used for training.
Photographer: Chiang Ying-ying/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
A Taiwanese fighter jet crashed and its pilot was killed while training over the Western Pacific, highlighting concerns about the island’s aging military fleet at a time of increased pressure from China’s air force.
Rescuers are searching for a Taiwanese F-5 jet after it plunged into the sea just a few hundred meters off the east coast of Taitung county during a training exercise Thursday morning, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman. The pilot, who had ejected and was rescued, later died despite hours of emergency treatment.