Defense Ministry: No plans to mothball Mirage fighters
ROC Central News Agency
2010/10/21 23:27:55
Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday that it has no plans to mothball its French-made Mirage fighter jets at present.
The ministry was responding to a lawmaker's suggestion after he pointed out the problems and high maintenance costs related to the plane.
Legislator Lin Yu-fang of the ruling Kuomintang told a legislative committee earlier this week that during maintenance operations in May 2009, the engine rotors of the some of the fighters were found to have cracks, resulting in reduced flying hours.
In May this year, a Mirage fighter jet belonging to the French Air Force crashed in southwestern France, possibly due to the same engine fault, Lin said.
Wang Cheng-hsiao, chief of staff of the air force, said Thursday that after strenuous efforts, the flight readiness of the aircraft has been improved to 72 percent.
"In the interests of military investment, there is no plan to mothball the Mirage fighters," he said.
Taiwan purchased 60 Mirage-2000s fighter jets from France in 1992, the last batch of which was delivered in 2001. Fifty-six of the planes remain in service, with four having been lost in crashes. (By Emmanuelle Tzeng and Lilian Wu) ENDITEM/J
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