Taiwan locates black box of crashed F-16 jet

TAIPEI: Taiwan has located the black box of a F-16 fighter jet that apparently crashed into the sea last week, the Air Force said Thursday.

The single-seat F-16V disappeared off Taiwan’s east coast on January 6, around 70 minutes after taking off for a routine night training mission.

The pilot, who remains missing, is believed to have ejected before the aircraft went down.

The Air Force said signals from the jet’s flight data recorder, commonly known as the black box, had been “detected and accurately located”.

“As for the search and rescue of personnel, despite continuous day and night searches by aircraft, ships, and coastal patrol personnel, no results have been found,” it said in a statement.

The Air Force said it would commission a professional team to start salvaging the aircraft as soon as possible while efforts to find the pilot would continue.

Taiwan is upgrading its defence capabilities as China maintains military pressure on the democratic island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory.

China has stepped up military drills near the island, including large-scale exercises around Taiwan late last year.

Taipei has ordered 66 US-made F-16V jets — a fourth-generation multi-role fighter — to replace its ageing fleet.