Taiwan grounds F-16 jets as search continues for aircraft, pilot focustaiwan.tw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from focustaiwan.tw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) An F-16V fighter jet went missing over the sea off western Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon, with search and recovery operations ongoing as of press time, according to Taiwan's Air Force.
Search-and-rescue teams yesterday searched for an air force pilot after his F-16V Block 20 jet went missing during an afternoon bombing exercise near the coastline of Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東石鄉), the air force said.
The search continued as of press time last evening.
The single-seat jet (serial number 6650) disappeared from radar screens at 3:23pm, about 30 minutes after it took off from Chiayi Air Base, air force Inspector General Major General Liu Hui-chien (柳惠千) told a news conference in Taipei.
All F-16Vs are temporarily suspended from exercises pending the completion of emergency checks on the fleet, he said.
The fighter piloted by