My thought every time this kind of thing happens is that either Taiwan’s pilots are so bad at their job we better not ever have to go to war or their planes are so bad that we’d better not ever have to go to war.
For some reason a lot of Taiwanese people think China is behind every mistake the military makes here. I’m not saying China didn’t do it, but I’d say maybe the military needs to invest in better training and equipment. my 
It’s already well known the Taiwan Air Force has no money for maintenance. These jets are flying time bombs so to speak held together by whatever parts the mechanics can beg borrow or steal.
They were last serviced in September. Like others have said, they were doing difficult night-time drills.
Might be a little crass, but I’m looking forward to Taiwan’s F16 repair center.
Their services are a joke. There’s been multiple insider reports of a serious lack of funds to perform maintenance.
The last major purchases from France, I think, were tied up in some huge scandals in the 1990s.
Frankly I don’t yearn for a return to those days.
Guy
Not just scandals. Murder most foul. My first ever boss in Taiwan knew the whistle blower that got killed. My boss was a captain in the navy. He got out quick.
disappearing from radar screen at more than 6,000ft?
Turn off that XPDR, turn on the afterburners and Hello China!
Old wives tale. The Air Force is one of the better-funded branches. Mechanics have plenty of parts; it’s not like they can just order replacements from PChome.
Well, we also know that Merkel wants to suck on Putin’s pipeline.
I’ll try and find the article with the insider reports. They’re buying them on eBay.
I think compared to the german airforce, taiwan’s is still doing pretty well.
How is Taiwan’s air force better than the Luftwaffe? I mean ones that strike fear into the heart of people back in the day?
The Luftwaffe has like three flying jets* and a bunch of decommissioned ones as spare parts source. The armed forces are not very popular in Germany so they don’t get enough funds. And the funds they have are spent on external consultants or sunk in overpriced equipment.
*. I exaggerated here. Out of 140 Eurofighters , 10 are operational.
I’m sure eBay loves that, particularly the need then to be in compliance with ITAR and other export regs
True but what they should do and what they do could vary
Gotta wait to see if he went to China
Sea level to escape detection
Otherwise there should be debris
I’m starting to wonder. They know roughly what area it went off radar. Surprised no debris field found yet. But then wouldn’t China be loudly gloating over that fact by now if he defected?
Edit… gave this more thought. USA would likely demand the plane be returned … classified info etc etc… so I guess China would just keep it on the D.L.
LOL “spatial disorientation” would be a very cute euphemism for “going to china” 
Nah China would gloat over it
Not returning it either
No mechanical problems? Wtf? They can’t find the plane, how they know that?