Myanmar Air Force K-8 Crash

A Myanmar Air Force K-8W light attack and training jet came down in Hpruso Township, Kayah State, in the south-east of the country, at a time of intense fighting between the military and armed opposition groups. Both crew members ejected. The air force said the aircraft had suffered a technical failure, while the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force said its heavy machine-gun fire had hit the aircraft's fuselage and wing before it crashed away from the battlefield; the claim was not independently confirmed. One of the crew was reported captured by resistance forces some days later. The Chinese-built K-8 is the backbone of Myanmar's light strike fleet.