• The pilot was rescued after the Mirage lost engine power during nighttime exercises.
• Taiwan’s air force relies primarily on US-built F-16 fighter jets, with at least seven lost in accidents.
• The Air Force has experienced a series of crashes, including one in 2022.

On Wednesday, Taiwan’s air force grounded its fleet of French-made Mirage fighter jets for maintenance checks after one crashed off the island’s northwest coast. The pilot was rescued.

The Mirage was conducting nighttime exercises late Tuesday after taking off from the Hsinchu air base when it lost engine power and the pilot ejected. Rescuers later found him and transported him to the hospital.

The Air Force announced that it has grounded the Mirage fleet for checks and will ensure adequate coverage from other aircraft to compensate for those out of rotation.

Taiwan’s air force relies primarily on US-built F-16 fighter jets. The island received its first 60 Mirage 2000 jets in 1997, and Taiwan has upgraded them several times since then. At least seven Mirage 2000 jets have been lost in accidents.

In recent years, Taiwan’s air force has experienced a series of crashes, including one in 2022 when it grounded its Mirage fleet after a jet crashed into the sea off the east coast.

Despite its well-trained personnel, Taiwan’s air force has repeatedly scrambled to intercept Chinese military aircraft flying near the island over the past five years. However, the accidents have not been linked to these intercept activities.

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