TAIPEI: Defense chief Kao Hua-chu promised yesterday to consider a proposal to mothball the Air Force's Mirage fighter jets in light of their low performance and high maintenance costs.

Kao said his department will carefully evaluate issues such as how to maintain the balance of combat capabilities across the Taiwan Straits, before making a decision on the matter.

In the meantime, the Air Force will work with the French manufacturer in an effort to fix the problems with the turbine blades of the jet engines so as to upgrade the aircraft's performance, he said.

The proposal to mothball the Mirage fighters was put forward by ruling Kuomintang legislator Lin Yu-fang during a sub-committee meeting on external and defense-related issues at the Legislative Yuan.

Lin also pointed to the exorbitant costs involved in maintaining the Mirage fleet.

Also during the meeting, Kao denied an Apple Daily report that an F-5E aircraft was almost shot down by an F-16 fighter in a recent aerial gunnery training exercise.

Kao told lawmakers that fire from the F-16 fighter hit only the cable with which the F-5E was towing the target.

He said that it is untrue to say that the F-5E "was almost shot down."

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 10/23/2009 page2)