The Taiwan Air Force's most advanced F-16V fighter jet nearly destroyed its own ship by dropping a 900kg Mk-84 bomb next to it

The pilot of a Taiwan Air Force F-16V fighter jet nearly destroyed a coast guard ship. General Tsao Chin-ping officially confirmed the incident.

Here's What We Know

The abnormal situation occurred back on 9 August 2023. Due to pilot error, an F-16V fighter jet accidentally dropped a Mk-84 aerial bomb weighing approximately 900kg. This happened during a training flight, the task of which was to hit targets of the conditional enemy.

The pilot's mistake caused the Mk-84 to fall too far from the target. There was a Coast Guard ship near the site. It was several nautical miles away from where the Mk-84 fell. Local media reported that the shockwave hit the ship and some crew members required medical attention.

The pilot and instructor will be prosecuted. Cao Jinping issued an apology to the Coast Guard Administration during a briefing this week.

The F-16V is the most advanced version of the fourth-generation Fighting Falcon fighter in service with the Taiwan Air Force. The aircraft is equipped with an advanced radar station that can track over 20 targets simultaneously.

Overall, August 2023 is not going well for the Taiwanese military. This week, a Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile interceptor exploded prematurely during a military exercise.

Source: Focus Taiwan