Taiwan temporarily grounds F-16 fighter jets fleet as search for missing pilot continues

As search for pilot whose aircraft apparently crashed into the sea continues, Taiwan has temporarily grounded its fleet of F-16 fighter jets for inspection, said the defence minister on Thursday (Jan 8). The pilot had reportedly ejected from his single-seat F-16V after 70 minutes in air, post taking off from the east coast on Tuesday.

In order to locate the pilot, thirty aircraft, 22 naval and coast guard vessels, and two drones have been pressed into action. A ground search is also underway to locate him.

"Our only goal right now is to do everything we can to conduct the search and rescue operation," said Defence Minister Wellington Koo, according to AFP.

Despite the grounding of the F-16 fighter jets fleet, Koo said, "This inspection should be completed by Saturday. This will not create any gaps in air defences."

Taiwan seems very serious about the crash of the F-16 fighter jet as it is trying hard to upgrade its defence capabilities to thwart any threat from China that considers Taiwan as its own part.

This can be gauged from the fact that the island has ordered 66 US F-16V - a fourth-generation multi-role fighter - an upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets, reported AFP.

Taiwan completed upgrades of 141 older F-16s to the V standard in late 2023.