Taiwan F-16 fighter jet disappears from radar screen
The aircraft disappeared 15 km northeast of Hualien Airport on Tuesday night
By
George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/11/17 20:06
[IMG alt="F-16 fighter jet (PickPik photo)
"]
https://tnimage.s3.hicloud.net.tw/photos/2020/11/17/1605614696-5fb3bc68420cb.jpg[/IMG]
F-16 fighter jet (PickPik photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Air Force has confirmed it lost contact with one of its F-16 fighter jets, which disappeared from radar screens Tuesday night (Nov. 17) during a training session, according to a
UDN report.
The Ministry of National Defense reported that a F-16 fighter jet took off from Hualien at 6:05 p.m. for night training, but disappeared from the radar screen at 6:17 p.m. The aircraft disappeared 8 nautical miles (15 kilometers) northeast of Hualien Airport.
At 6:25 p.m. a Black Hawk helicopter took off from Songshan Airport to search for the fighter jet, while the Coast Guard Administration and National Airborne Service Corps were asked to stand by until further notice, per UDN. The Fishery Radio Station and the Keelung Coastal Radio Station have also been asked to broadcast the news to nearby boats for assistance in searching for the missing aircraft.
An Air Force statement said it’s trying to determine exactly what has happened, and will notify media when it knows more,
CNA reported.