The Taiwan Air Force on Tuesday apologized for incidents that occurred during training sessions in which bombs and missiles were dropped that missed their targets and caused damage and inconvenience to the Coast Guard and other military units.
Air Force Chief of Staff General Tsao Chin-ping acknowledged that on August 9, an F-16V aircraft dropped a 907-kilogram MK-84 bomb that fell into the sea near Jioupeng military base, in Pingtung (south) and caused a shock wave that hit a Coast Guard ship, the CNA news agency reported.
While there were no casualties, several Coast Guard members complained on social media that they had to get medical attention because of the shock wave.
Tsao said the Air Force has apologized to the Coast Guard and will punish the pilot and his instructor for not properly supervising the exercise.
The official also confirmed that another incident occurred today at the same Jioupeng base, when a US-made MIM-104F Patriot missile exploded before hitting the target during an exercise.
The general explained that the air force and the Chung Shan National Institute of Science and Technology, the main military research unit on the island, are investigating the causes of the explosion.
According to the local press, it was the first time a Patriot missile purchased in the United States exploded on its own before hitting its target during firing tests conducted every two years in Taiwan.
Accidents of this kind have been frequent in recent years as part of the various maneuvers and exercises of the island’s armed forces.
Last October, four Taiwanese army personnel were injured after accidentally firing a portable anti-tank weapon during live fire tests.
In June last year, a Taiwanese multi-launch military missile system exploded during a live-fire combat exercise in the southeast of the island, leaving no fatalities or injuries.
Since 2020, there have been seven accidents involving planes and helicopters belonging to the island’s air force, according to the CNA, resulting in the deaths of 13 servicemen, the last on May 31.
Source: DN
