Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

18 DEATHS FROM 17 F5E/F CRASHES OVER 19 YEARS

ROC Central News Agency

2007-05-11 17:35:25

    Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The Air Force F-5F twin-seat fighter that crashed in the northern county of Hsinchu Friday morning was the military's 17th F-5E/F to be downed in an accident since 1988, according to data from Legislator Hsueh Ling of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

    Eighteen military officers were killed by the crashes, which also caused one serious injury and left four missing, the data showed.

    The F-5E/Fs began service as the backbone of the ROC Air Force arsenal in the 1970s. In 2000, the government-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. proposed a "Tiger2000" project in an attempt to upgrade the F-5E/Fs. However, the plan failed to win military support, according to Hsueh.

    Currently, the aging aircraft is used in pilot training operations, having receded from front line service.

    The Friday accident also killed two Singaporean troops on the ground and injured two other Singaporean soldiers after it caused a fire to break out at the barracks housing Singaporean soldiers training in Taiwan.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)

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