• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) Two aircraft specialists from France's Dassault Corp., the builder of Mirage 2000-5s, flew to Taipei Tuesday to help probe the cause of the recent disappearance of one of the French-made jet fighters belonging to the ROC Air Force.

According to Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Kung Fan-ting, the two French specialists will compile information gathered from radars, and by using flight simulations, try to determine the spot where the single-seat Mirage 2000-5 went missing.

The specialists will particularly examine information regarding the missing jet's sudden descent from a height of 15,300 feet to 3,300 feet, which could provide some clues about the accident, Kung said.

Answering a reporter's question at a press conference on why the missing Mirage 2000-5 had not been equipped with a position beacon to allow it to be located after a mishap, a spokesman for the Air Force said the position beacons were not requested by the ROC Air Force when it first placed its orders with Dassault.

But after assessing the equipment's importance, the Air Force asked for a supply this year. So far 15 of the French-made fighters have been equipped with the devices, and 32 other position beacons are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan Wednesday to be delivered to the Air Force, the spokesman said.

The single-seat Mirage 2000-5 plunged into waters off the coast of the northern county of Ilan on Dec. 14 during a simulated air intercept exercise. The jet lost contact with the control tower when it went down.

On Oct. 15, a twin-seat Mirage 2000-5 crashed on a routine training mission, offshore from Hsinchu. The two pilots ejected to safety and were rescued.

Meanwhile, the Air Force spokesman said that among other reasons behind the five accidents involving Air Force fighters this year, the great pressure that the Air Force pilots have sustained amid tension across the Taiwan Strait should not be ignored.

Sustaining immense physical and psychological pressure, the pilots usually carry out their flying duties under tight schedules without complaint. The spokesman said the wives and families of the Air Force pilots should be offered the deep gratitude of the nation for their thoughtfulness and cooperation. (By Deborah Kuo)