06.01.2026 23:02
It has been reported that an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in Taiwan, which is embroiled in a sovereignty dispute with China. In the incident, it was noted that the pilot ejected from the aircraft using the ejection seat control before the crash, and a search and rescue operation has been initiated to locate the missing pilot.
It has been reported that an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in Taiwan, which is in a sovereignty dispute with China.
CRASHED INTO THE SEA DURING TRAINING FLIGHT
In a statement from the Taiwanese Air Force, it was noted that the U.S.-made "F-16V" fighter jet crashed into the sea during a routine training flight off the coast of Hualien County in the northeast of the island.
MISSING PILOT SEARCHED
It was reported that the pilot ejected from the aircraft using the ejection seat management before the crash, and a search and rescue operation was initiated to find the missing pilot. In 2022 and 2024, "Mirage 2000" type fighter jets had crashed into the sea in Taiwan, and the pilots had escaped by ejecting themselves before the crash.
CHINA-TAIWAN DISPUTE
After World War II in China, the communists, who emerged victorious in the civil war between the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist Party of China (CPC) forces led by Mao Zedong, declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
The members of the Kuomintang, who lost the civil war, settled in Taiwan and claimed that the government of the "Republic of China," established in 1912, continued on the island, where they established a temporary government.
Taiwan, which the People's Republic of China claims is part of its territory, has had de facto independence since 1949. The separation between mainland China and Taiwan continues.
The Beijing administration, which has increased military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, emphasizes that it will not rule out the use of force if necessary for the reunification of the island with the mainland.