Timeline of key events of Taiwan Air Force F-16 fleet

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) The disappearance from radar of an F-16V fighter jet during a nighttime training mission off eastern Taiwan on Tuesday has renewed attention on Taiwan's F-16 fleet.

Below is a timeline of major developments and accidents relating to the Taiwan Air Force's operation of this model of American-made warplane:

1992: The Republic of China (ROC) signed a deal with the United States to purchase 150 F-16 fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin under a program overseen by the U.S. Air Force.

14 April 1997: Taiwan's first two F-16 fighter jets flew from the United States to Taiwan and were assigned to Chiayi Air Base.

20 March 1998: An F-16A/B fighter jet assigned to Chiayi Air Base lost contact with the combat control center during a training mission near Penghu County's Magong City, leaving pilots Wen Chin-sung (溫進嵩) and Chang Chia-cheng (章嘉成) missing, later formally declared dead.

25 Jan. 1999: An F-16A/B fighter jet based at Hualien Air Base crashed in Taitung County during a routine mission, killing pilots Chang Chia-kun (張嘉鯤) and Tai Wei-kang (戴維康).

1 June 1999: An F-16 fighter jet assigned to the Chiayi Wing disappeared from radar during nighttime training southwest of Green Island (Taitung County's Lyudao Township), with pilot Hsu Chun-wei (許君威) declared missing, later formally declared dead.

18 Aug. 1999: An F-16 fighter jet suffered a suspected mechanical failure during a training flight, forcing pilot Lin Keng-sheng (林更生) to eject to safety before the aircraft crashed.

4 March 2008: An F-16 fighter jet assigned to the 401st Wing crashed into the sea during a nighttime training mission near Hualien County, leaving pilot Ting Shih-pao (丁世寶) missing, later formally declared dead.

22 Sept. 2011: The U.S. government formally notified the U.S. Congress of its approval of a major upgrade package for Taiwan's F-16A/B fighter jets, valued at about US$5.85 billion.

15 May 2013: An F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea near Chiayi Air Base during a training mission, with pilot Wu Yen-ting (吳彥霆) ejecting to safety.

22 Jan. 2016: Pilot Kao Ting-cheng (高鼎程) was killed in a crash during a training exercise in an F-16 fighter jet at Luke Air Force Base in the United States.

4 June 2018: During the Han Kuang military exercises, an F-16 fighter jet crashed into Wufen Mountain in Keelung City, killing pilot Wu Yen-ting, who had survived the 2013 accident.

7 Nov. 2020: An F-16 fighter jet disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Hualien Air Base, with pilot Chiang Cheng-chih (蔣正志) declared missing, later formally declared dead.

11 Jan. 2022: An F-16V fighter jet crashed into the sea during a ground-attack training mission at Shuixi Shooting Range near Chiayi Air Base, killing pilot Andy Chen (陳奕).

19 Dec. 2023: Taiwanese company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) upgraded 139 F-16 fighter jets to the F-16V configuration.

6 Jan. 2026: An F-16V fighter jet went missing during a nighttime training mission over waters off Hualien County, with pilot Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅) believed to have ejected. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, as of press time.