First Brave Eagle delivered

Isa Khan · Dec 1, 2021

Tsungfang Tsai

On 29 November 2021, the Chung-Hua Min Guo Kong Jun (RoCAF, Republic of China Air Force) took delivery of the first Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) T-5 Yung Ying (Brave Eagle) advanced jet trainer (AJT).

The aircraft, serial 10-9003/1101, took off from Taichung air base and landed at Taitung air base, home of the 7th Flight Training Wing (FTW), at 10:34 hrs LT.

The AJT project began in the early 2000s as the RoCAF sought a replacement for its ageing fleet of AIDC AT-3 and F-5E/F lead-in fighter trainers. Three designs were proposed, a modernised AT-3 branded as the AT-3 MAX, an evolution of the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo called the XAT-5, and the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master. In 2017 it was announced that the XAT-5 had won the tender with development and production to be undertaken by a partnership of AIDC and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

The two prototypes of the T-5 (AT-5) Brave Eagle made their respective first flights in June 2020 and December 2020. See the Scramble Magazine news item of 26 December 2020.

The newly delivered AT-5 made its first flight in June this year. In total, 66 AT-5s are expected to be delivered before the end of 2026. The delivery schedule is reported as two aircraft in 2021, eight in 2022, seventeen in 2023, eighteen in 2024, eighteen more in 2025, and the last three in 2026.

The 7th Flight Training Wing (FTW) based at Taitung/Jhihhang operate the F-5E/F-5F lead-in fighter trainers with three Tactical Fighter Squadrons and the Tactical Training & Development Center (TTDC) which borrows the aircraft from the other three squadrons. The AT-3 is operated by the Fighter Training Group at Gangshan.