Amid rumors of its retirement, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense affirmed that the Mirage 2000 fleet operated by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) remains operational.Â
In a briefing held on June 13, 2023, Colonel Sun Li-fang, the spokesperson for Taiwan¾«¶«Ó°Òµ military, affirmed that the Mirage 2000 fleet met the ‘availability’ or ‘mission capable’ standards issued by the ministry.Â
Taiwan acquired a fleet of 60 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets in 1992. The Mirage 2000-5 is an air superiority variant of the fighter. The aircraft entered service with the ROCAF in 1997 and since then, it has represented an important component of the island¾«¶«Ó°Òµ airspace sovereignty defense.Â
In its 26 years of service, the fleet has registered six crashes resulting in complete loss of the aircraft, causing the death of five pilots in total. Â
It is worth highlighting that achieving a 10% attrition rate over a span of 26 years for a single-engine aircraft fleet represents a commendable ratio, especially given the intense level of engagement of Taiwanese fighters. The Taiwan government said that its air force activity had jumped 129% in 2020, due to the repeated and regular intrusions of Chinese military planes into the country¾«¶«Ó°Òµ air defense identification zone (ADIZ).Â
Yet the most recent crash, which took place on March 14, 2022, triggered a debate in the country about the safety of the Mirage 2000 and increasing operating costs due to the low availability of parts.Â
Sun Li-fang dismissed the rumors of decommissioning, saying that the ‘availability’ of the Mirage 2000 is not a serious problem, and the current situation can be effectively dealt with, as quoted by Taiwan¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Central News Agency (CNA).Â