Rescue teams have detected signals from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), or black box, of the F-16V fighter jet that disappeared over the sea last week. Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Monday that although it has been detected, teams won't be able to locate the box until sea conditions improve.

On Tuesday, January 6, an Air Force F-16V fighter jet and its pilot Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅), disappeared during a nighttime training mission. Although Hsin reported that he was losing altitude and preparing to eject, no ejection confirmation was received, and teams have been searching for the pilot and the aircraft since. 

Koo thanked all members of the search-and-rescue teams, including the Coast Guard and members of the National Armed Forces, for their effort and persistence. So far, search teams from all sectors have dispatched a total of 124 sortie vessels, 16 drones, and over 1,200 personnel since the aircraft disappeared last Tuesday to search the coast from Hualien to Taitung.

As for the signal, Koo clarified that the military has been receiving intermittent signals from the box, but due to poor ocean conditions, further confirmation and a specialized team will be needed to find the exact location. “We need to conduct further verification; however, due to extremely poor sea conditions, vessels cannot depart from port. So, we must wait for conditions to improve before leaving to confirm the location of the black box.”

The defense minister said that further meetings on how to proceed would be held after the exact location of the box was determined, and that any progress in search and rescue efforts would be reported to the public.