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Taiwanese rescuers find wreckage of F-16V fighter jet but no sign of pilot
- Searchers find parts of the fuselage of plane that crashed into the sea on Tuesday on a routine training mission
- Incident comes two months after US-made squadron was commissioned
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Taiwanese rescuers on Wednesday located the wreckage of a F-16V jet that crashed into the sea less than two months after the island launched the first squadron of its most advanced fighters.
The jet disappeared from radar screens around half an hour after taking off for a routine training mission from its base in southwestern Taiwan on Tuesday.
The air force said the jet plunged into the sea with no sign of the 28-year-old pilot ejecting in time.
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After an all-night search involving multiple helicopters, coastguard vessels and more than 60 officials, the national rescue centre said fuselage wreckage had been found but there were no signs of the pilot.
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Taiwan deploys its most advanced F-16V fighter jets amid rising military tensions with Beijing
Taiwan deploys its most advanced F-16V fighter jets amid rising military tensions with Beijing
The incident has dealt a blow to the new squadron of US-made F-16Vs that was commissioned in November as Taiwan upgraded its ageing fleet amid rising tensions with Beijing.
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