Taiwan Mirage-2000-5 fighter
On September 10, a Mirage-2000-5 fighter in Taiwan crashed during training, and the pilot ejected and parachuted to escape. This is the ninth crash of a Mirage-2000-5 fighter in Taiwan, resulting in the loss of seven pilots and seven Mirage-2000-5 fighters.
According to relevant reports, at that time, the Mirage-2000-5 fighter took off from Hsinchu Air Base, and then the pilot reported that the engine stopped and ejected and parachuted. The parachute jump site is about 17 nautical miles off the coast of Hsinchu, and at this distance, the Mirage-2000-5 fighter had just taken off and was in the climbing phase, but the engine suddenly failed, lost power and fell to the ground.
Taiwan purchased 60 Mirage-2000-5s, and now there are only 53
There are a number of factors that contribute to the engine shutdown of fighter jets, and it is speculated that it may be related to engine blades. The Mirage-2000-5 is equipped with the France Schnecma M53 turbofan engine, and when it was in service in Taiwan, there were many failures of compressor blade breakage, which has been a headache for the Taiwan Air Force. In 2009, Taiwan regional media reported that due to frequent fractures of M53 turbofan engine compressor blades and insufficient spare parts, the annual flight hours of Taiwan's Mirage-2000-5 fighter were reduced to 80 hours, far lower than the prescribed 180 hours. On the other hand, the flight cost of the Mirage-2000-5 fighter is the highest, almost 5 times that of the F-16 fighter and 3 times that of the IDF fighter. Such low efficiency gave the Taiwan Regional Air Force the idea of early retirement of the Mirage-2000-5.
In fact, the Mirage-2000-5 fighter in Taiwan has been in constant trouble since the beginning of its service, with 9 major accidents in 27 years of service, an average of one in 3 years. Taiwan purchased 60 Mirage-2000-5 fighters, they received the first Mirage-2000-5 fighter in 1997, and in 1999 they dropped two in a row. In 2001, the third plane fell, and in 2002, the fourth plane took off and hit the island, forced landing and burned down, because the Mirage-2000-5 fighter dropped four in just five years, it was really impossible to explain, and the Taiwan Regional Air Force had to pay a huge amount of money to send this one back to France, which took three years to repair.
The condition of the Mirage-2000-5 in Taiwan is poor
In 2012, Taiwan pilots crashed in France piloting Mirage-2000-5 fighters, in 2013 Taiwan Mirage-2000-5 crashed again, in 2017 fell the sixth plane, and in 2022, Taiwan's Mirage-2000-5 fighter crashed into the sea during training, and the record increased to 7. On September 10, 2024, the Taiwan Regional Air Force dropped its eighth Mirage-2000-5 fighter. After deducting the 5th that has been repaired, a total of 7 Mirage-2000-5 fighters were dropped in Taiwan, and now only 53 Mirage-2000-5 fighters remain.
The Mirage-2000-5 is in frequent condition, and the technical level has lagged behind. It is equipped with the RDY airborne pulse-Doppler fire control radar and the Mika active radar-guided air-to-air missile, and it is still quite effective at the beginning of the new century. Now the new generation of fighters is generally equipped with on-board active phased array fire control radars, medium and long-range air-to-air missiles, and the Mirage-2000-5 is rapidly becoming obsolete. Now the Mirage-2000-5 is now the only fighter in Taiwan that has not undergone a mid-term upgrade (MLU), which is difficult to adapt to the battlefield environment after 2025.
2027 F-16V Replacement Phantom-2000-5
Since the Mirage-2000-5 will reach the 30-year service period in 2027, considering the poor status of the aircraft, the high upgrade cost, and the negative attitude of the French side, the Taiwan Regional Air Force may not upgrade it in the medium term, but gradually retire it and be replaced by F-16V fighters.