Taiwan military reassures on Mirage 2000 availability amid rumors
ROC Central News Agency
06/13/2023 03:08 PM
Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military gave assurances Tuesday that its Air Force Mirage 2000-5 fighters will remain available amid reported internal discussions on whether to decommission the French-made jets due to their high cost of operation and maintenance.
Military spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said the Air Force's Mirage 2000 fleet has met the required "availability" or "mission capable" rate, though he did not disclose what that rate was for the Mirage 2000-5s, citing confidentiality reasons.
The military has also ordered 66 United States-made F-16V fighters to meet its air defense needs, Sun said, reaffirming that the Air Force is capable of defending Taiwan's air space with its existing fleet and expected future additions.
Sun was responding to questions at a press briefing about recent reports of ongoing debates within the Air Force on whether to retire the French-made jets that have been in service since 1997.
Some have argued that the Air Force should decommission the jets because they have much higher operating costs per hour than F-16s and Taiwan-made IDFs, and spare parts for the aircraft are almost impossible to find, according to local media reports.
Taiwan bought 60 Mirage 2000-5s from France in the 1990s, and they entered service in 1997.
Since then, eight incidents involving the jets have been reported in Taiwan, the most recent one coming in March 2022. Among the incidents were six crashes that resulted in the deaths of five pilots and left Taiwan with 54 of the Mirage 2000-5s.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)
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