TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Monday that black box signals have been detected from a missing F-16V fighter jet.

Koo thanked the Coast Guard and the Army, Navy, and Air Force for their search efforts, per CNA. The Navy and Coast Guard have so far dispatched ships 62 times and deployed drones.

The Second Combat Zone, which oversees eastern Taiwan, has mobilized 1,206 personnel to search the coastline from Hualien to Taitung. He said that specialized vessels have been dispatched to locate the black box and that intermittent signals have been detected, though further confirmation is needed. 

He said rough seas have temporarily halted precise localization efforts. Searches will resume once sea conditions improve, and updates will be released as available.

An Air Force F-16V lost contact on the evening of Jan. 6. The pilot, Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅), is suspected to have ejected about 10 nautical miles (18 km) east of Hualien County's Fengbin Township. 

Search and rescue operations for Hsin continue.