Taiwan’s 40-year fighter jet fell! How many tragedies will be caused by this antique fighter?

According to Taiwan media reports on October 29, an F-5E fighter plane crashed during training off Taitung that morning. The pilot Zhu Guanluo died after parachuting.

The grief-stricken mother of the pilot scolded the Taiwan Air Force personnel: "My son has long said, "Mom, F-5E will definitely go wrong." Does anyone pay attention to it until something really happens? Today, he (Zhu Guanluo) took the responsibility, but what the military gave me, but today you didn’t put the pilot’s life first! With such an old military plane, the children flew in fear, and if the plane crashed, I would jump into the sea of ​​Taidong!

▲The pilot's mother cried

Zhu Guanluo’s mother was right. The wrecked fighter plane was manufactured on November 14, 1980, with 6,260 flight hours and 40 years of age, which is older than Zhu Guanluo himself. Such an old military plane, who flies without fear?

▲The killed pilot Zhu Guanluo

Taiwan media also unearthed a very beautiful story from Zhu Guanluo's social media account:

When Zhu Guanluo was 5 years old, he dreamed of being a pilot. He once had a close encounter with this F-5 fighter aircraft numbered 5274. He also brought a small stool and took a photo with the aircraft.

Twenty years later, he was already a pilot and finally saw the 5274 again and had the opportunity to pilot it himself. Zhu Guanluo recalled that every time he flew to this 5274, he felt a dream come true.

This was originally a very beautiful "I will be you when I grow up" story, but behind the beauty, we found a terrible fact:

When a boy grew up and became a pilot, he actually flew the same plane he took with him 20 years ago? Finally died on this kind of plane?

More than 20 years! Are the planes not changed?

The funny thing is, it really didn't change.

▲As early as 39 years ago, a Taiwanese pilot Huang Zhicheng came to the mainland in an F-5F uprising

Promoted to Major General of the PLA Air Force in 1995

Taiwan's relationship with the F5 began in the 1960s, when it was equipped with about 115 F-5A/B fighters. By 1972, the United States returned 48 of the aided F-5 fighters and sent them to the South Vietnamese government. The remaining aircraft have been used by Taiwan until 1996 (F-5B) and served for 31 years.

In the 1970s, Taiwan was tossed by the more garbage "flying coffin" F-104, and reached an agreement with Northrop to authorize Taiwan to produce 100 F-5Es. Subsequently, Sino-US relations improved, and Taiwan felt pressured, so it increased the number of F-5E production. As of the cessation of production in 1986, about 308 F-5E/F were produced.

▲F-5E produced in Taiwan

However, the "advanced" F-5E fighter that Taiwan thought it was actually a low-end fighter designed for use by not so close "allies". It has always been nicknamed "widowmaker", "flying coffin", and F- The 104 is collectively referred to as the "U.S. pit ally dedicated aircraft."

So after Taiwan got the F-5, it began to crash frequently. Since 1966, Taiwan has crashed at least 60 F-5 fighter jets, and 80% of the pilots were killed.

▲Crash of some F-5 fighters

The last fatal accident was on September 13, 2011. An RF-5E fighter and an F-5F fighter in Taiwan deviated from the course during a night mission. The two aircraft crashed into a mountain at the same time.

The same Taiwanese F-5 fighter that crashed into the mountain occurred on September 30, 1997. Two F-5E fighters died in the crash due to their low altitude.

In addition, there were a large number of missing, falling into the sea, malfunctioning, crashing, and hitting birds. There was also a drone that was towed during the exercise, but was accidentally hit and killed.

▲News 13 years ago

What’s even more embarrassing is that on May 11, 2007, during Taiwan’s so-called "Han Kuang" exercise No. 23, a 5371 two-seater F-5F fighter failed to lift up in time after completing a simulated ground attack. Arriving on the ground in the dormitory of Singapore’s “Star Force”, the fighter plane exploded and burned. It also caused the death of 2 Singapore “Star Force” soldiers and injured 9 others.

▲A large number of rescuers from Taiwan took washbasins at the crash site of the military plane, picking up corpses and fragments of the plane

Taiwan also admitted that due to the lack of parts and maintenance, the proper rate of Taiwan's F-5E/F series fighters can only be maintained at about 55%. A retired maintenance staff of Hanxiang Company believes that the old F-5 aircraft should be eliminated long ago, and its parts production line has long been closed. These years have been "removing the east wall and repairing the west wall".

Taiwan may think that this antique airplane is indeed too old, and it will definitely cause a major event if it continues to fly, so it thought of two ways to solve the F-5 problem.

The first method is that the F-5 is not used as a combat aircraft, but only for teaching and training. In other words, the F-5 is now a "transition aircraft", mainly used to allow pilots to transition from operating a "training aircraft" to operating a "fighter", so that the pilots can adapt to the characteristics of fighters and learn combat skills.

Therefore, many Taiwanese F-16 pilots have been flying F-5 fighters for enough hours before becoming F-16 pilots.

▲ Taiwan's F-16 fighter

However, even if only used as a "transition machine", this F-5E still cannot change its antique nature! Should go to heaven or go to heaven, this failure still has to fail, should crash still have to crash!

Taiwan's novice pilots are also really miserable. Everyone has to be screened on F-5 fighters. Those who pass are flew to F-16, and those who fail are all killed on F-5.

So the Taiwan authorities came up with a second method: "Ying Ying fighter" to replace the F-5.

▲Yongying fighter

"Yingying fighter" is actually the IDF (Jingguo) fighter of the coaching version. As soon as this kind of trainer came out, the Taiwan authorities touted it, claiming that the appearance of the new higher education aircraft inherited the aerodynamic characteristics of IDF fighters with low resistance and high angle of attack, resulting in similar appearances, but the new higher education aircraft redesigned the structure and layout. And a large number of composite materials are used to reduce the weight of the fuselage while improving performance. Hanxiang also praised Haikou, claiming that, compared to IDF fighters, over 80% of the "Yongying" aircraft are entirely new designs.

▲Two-seater IDF fighter

However, the people in Taiwan did not buy it, thinking that the "Yongying" is no different from the IDF. They just made an "extended version" of the old fighter, which means adding a seat to it. But building an airplane is not as simple as adding a seat casually. In order to save the cost of purchasing and daily use, the "Yongying" engine is not equipped with afterburner. Without increasing the power and the aerodynamics, adding a cockpit and pilot weight, can this flight performance be good?

Some netizens commented on this: "For 30 years, I have added a seat. This is a joke, but the Taiwanese media are embarrassed to show it out?" "This is simply a prop to deceive Taiwanese."

What's more, when the F-5E is used as a transition aircraft, the fire control radar and combat system are still there, and can be launched into the air when necessary, but the "Ying Ying" is a simplified version of the trainer, which has no combat effectiveness. I am afraid that it is just self-promotion and boasting when it comes to air defense.

But even if the trainer is so simple, Taiwan is not willing to change it! The reason turned out to be too much money!

But Taiwan spends 10 billion U.S. dollars every year to buy American weapons. How can it be short of money?

In fact, this is the political consideration of the Taiwan authorities. Spending money on American weapons is equivalent to paying protection fees in exchange for the "protection" of the United States against Taiwan. At the same time, it can be hyped on the island so that the people on the island can see the "achievements" of the Taiwan authorities. Increase support.

▲Taiwan's newly purchased Haimas rocket launcher

Range of more than 160 kilometers

And if the money is used to change into the Yongying, apart from the happy pilot and the pilot’s family, and finally bid farewell to the old antique, who else would know? For the Taiwan authorities, there is almost no propaganda value.

As a result, the lives of Taiwanese pilots were so ignored. The Taiwan authorities would rather give the money to the Americans to buy dog ​​food than replace those old antique airplanes that have flown for more than 40 years.

It seems that the actuarial political interests of politicians always hurt ordinary people and grassroots officers and soldiers.