Taipei, November 18: An F-16 fighter jet of Taiwan disappeared Tuesday night during a training exercise. The disappearance of Taiwan's F-16 fighter jet amid tensions with China. Following the incident, Taiwan air force grounded all F-16s to perform maintenance checks. Meanwhile, a search is underway to locate the missing F-16 aircraft. The plane was piloted by Colonel Chiang Cheng-chih. Taiwanese, Chinese Staffers Injured After Clash in Fiji.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Taiwan air force commander Hsieh Jih-sheng said that two minutes after takeoff from Hualien Air Base, the F-16 had disappeared from radar at an altitude of more than 6,000 feet. The jet went missing during a nighttime training mission. "I am asking all agencies not to give up the rescue mission and to make it their top priority," Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was quoted as saying. US Announces Planned $2.37 Billion Weapon Sale to Taiwan.

"I am demanding a thorough examination of military equipment. We are offering our military the greatest support," she added. Since 1997 when the delivery of Taiwan’s current fleet of F-16 jets began, there have been seven major accidents involving the planes, according to the Taipei-based Central News Agency. In October, a Taiwanese F-5 jet crashed into the sea just a few hundred meters off the east coast during a training exercise, killing its pilot.

In July, a helicopter had crashed during an exercise that resulted in two deaths. In January, another helicopter went down and that left 12 people dead, including Taiwan’s most-senior uniformed officer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 11:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).