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This decision deprives the territory of 150 F16s and thus limits the air defense capability, as Chinese military aircraft have flown near Taiwan with unprecedented frequency in recent months.
The Air Force said a single-seat F16 with a 44-year-old pilot at the controls disappeared from radar on Tuesday night, two minutes after taking off from an airbase east of the island. It then flew about 1,800 meters above sea level.
The disappearance occurs less than three weeks after the death of a pilot when the F-15 he was flying crashed into the sea.
“The rescue mission is now our top priority. The Air Force has immobilized all F-16s [realizar] monitor and ordered an investigation into the cause of this incident, “Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters.
The People’s Republic of China considers the island territory as one of its provinces and threatens to use force in the event of a formal declaration of independence or external intervention.
Seven F16 accidents have occurred since Taiwan bought the plane from the United States in 1997.
This year, Taiwan took off its planes twice as compared to 2019, to protect itself from China’s increasing incursions into its defense zone.
According to analysts, these overflows by the Chinese military are designed to test the island’s defensive reactions.
The Taiwanese military has suffered a series of plane crashes this year. In January, the chief of staff of the Taiwanese armed forces and seven other officers died in a helicopter crash.
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