The plane’s disappearance follows the crash of an F-5E fighter during a training mission last month, killing the pilot. Taiwan’s military says one of the air force’s F-16 fighter jets disappeared during a nighttime training mission. The plane’s disappearance follows the crash of an F-5E fighter during a training mission last month, killing the pilot. The incidents come as Taiwan’s air force is under greater pressure to respond to incursions by warplanes from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Taiwan purchased the F-16s from the United States, its chief ally, in the 1990s and has been upgrading its existing models along with ordering the latest version of the versatile jet.

Source: The Hindu November 18, 2020 08:03 UTC