Taiwan Grounds Mirage Fleet for Maintenance Following Crash

Taiwan's air force has temporarily grounded its fleet of French-made Mirage fighter jets after one crashed off the island's northwest coast during nighttime exercises. The pilot was safely rescued. The air force will conduct maintenance checks and ensure other aircraft maintain sufficient coverage.

Taiwan's air force announced on Wednesday the grounding of its fleet of French-made Mirage fighter jets for maintenance checks after a recent crash off the island's northwest coast. The incident occurred during nighttime exercises, but the pilot was safely rescued and taken to the hospital.

The Mirage jet, which lost engine power shortly after taking off from Hsinchu air base, prompted the air force to immediately ground the entire fleet for thorough checks. Despite the grounding, sufficient coverage will be maintained with other aircraft to ensure operational readiness.

Taiwan's mainstay fighters are U.S.-built F-16s, although the Mirage 2000 jets have been in service since 1997 and have had several upgrades. Taiwan's air force has experienced a spate of crashes in recent years, though none have been linked to intercepting Chinese military aircraft near the island.

(With inputs from agencies.)