ILLUSTRATION. Taiwan-made Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF) fighter jets take part in the Han Kuang military exercise, simulating an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan, July 16, 2020.
Source: Channel News Asia | Editor: SS Kurniawan
KONTAN.CO.ID – TAIPEI. A Taiwanese pilot died on Thursday after his fighter jet crashed off the island’s East Coast during routine training, in the second fatal air crash in three months.
Pilot Chu Kuang-meng actually managed to exit the F-5E fighter jet after reporting engine failure shortly after take-off, the Taiwan Air Force said. Channel News Asia.
The 29-year-old man was rescued from the sea in a state of unconsciousness, but his life could not be saved.
The crash occurred as the ill-armed Taiwanese Air Force was forced to deal with an unprecedented level of attacks on its defensive zones by the Chinese military.
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Taiwan said it had twice as many fighter jets as last year in an attempt to alert Chinese military aircraft.
Beijing views self-governing Taiwan as its territory, and has vowed to one day retake it, by force if necessary.
All F-5 fighter jets have been banned from flying
Analysts say increasing Chinese military activity in Taiwan is a way to test the island’s defense response, but also weakens its fighters.
The F-5E is an older generation fighter jet with designs dating back to the 1960s.
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