At least six fighter planes F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) were damaged by the earthquake that hit Taiwan this Wednesday morning (03). The 7,4 magnitude tremor was the strongest recorded in the country in 25 years and left nine dead and more than 900 injured. Fifty people are missing. 

The epicenter of the earthquake was near Hualien, in eastern Taiwan, a city that has an air base. The military organization is home to the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing, which operates F-16 MLU fighters. According to ROCAF, the planes were slightly damaged in the coating by the stairs used by the pilots to climb into the aircraft. With the tremor, the movement of the stairs against the planes left scratches and dents in the fuselage. 

Due to the minor damage, the F-16s were quickly repaired and put back into service. ROCAF also said the event did not affect combat readiness. The Hualien military installation is receiving teams and material from across the country. Two C-130 Hercules freighters landed at the base carrying a search and rescue team.

Shortly before the earthquake hit the country, the Ministry of National Defense reported via X that around 30 planes and nine boats from the Chinese People's Army (PLA) crossed the line of the Air Defense Identification Zone that surrounds the country. The situation, which is common, was monitored by the Chinese military. 

30 PLA ​​aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's northern, middle line, and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate force to respond. pic.twitter.com/LkVR7XQ3LD

- 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) April 3, 2024

The F-16 is the world's main fighter Taiwanese Air Force, which operates 137 of these aircraft. Through the Peace Phoenix Rising program, the country recently completed updating its fleet to the Blcok 70 standard, the most modern North American jet, and acquired another 66 aircraft with the update. 

In addition to the F-16s, the ROCAF also operates the French Mirage 2000-5 and the F-CK-1 Ching Kuo, the latter a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured locally with support from the United States.