Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) delivered the last two of 66 T-5 Brave Eagle advanced jet trainers to the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) on September 24, 2026, completing production under Taiwan’s indigenous trainer program.
The two aircraft, serial numbers 1165 and 1166, took off from Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung at around 11:00 local time, according to the company. After a low pass over AIDC’s Shalu plant, they landed at Gangshan, Kaohsiung, home of the ROCAF Air Force Academy, at 11:36 local time.
AIDC Chairman Tsao Chin-ping flew aboard aircraft 1166 alongside a company test pilot.
The handover came seven years to the day after the first prototype was rolled out in Taichung on September 24, 2019, when then-President Tsai Ing-wen named the aircraft Brave Eagle.
Taiwan completes 66-aircraft Brave Eagle program
The program was launched in 2017 under a three-party arrangement between the ROCAF, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), and AIDC.
AIDC served as lead contractor for design integration, parts production, assembly, and testing, and said more than 200 Taiwanese suppliers participated in the program.
The T-5 is derived from the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter, but AIDC says more than 80% of the aircraft was redesigned, including its aerodynamics and external shape. The company puts the jet’s domestic content at 55%.
According to AIDC, the trainer went from design to first flight in three years and two months, with the prototype taking to the air in June 2020.
Series production began in 2021, and the ROCAF put the type on public display at Chihhang Air Base in July 2022.
Supply shortages affected T-5 production
Production was affected by shortages of imported systems and components during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent geopolitical disruption, AIDC said.
AIDC President Chuang Hsiu-mei said the manufacturer brought production of several hard-to-source parts in-house, working with NCSIST, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Automotive Research and Testing Center (ARTC), and domestic suppliers.
AIDC delivered 14 aircraft in 2025 and another 14 in 2026, according to Chuang, allowing the company to complete the 66-aircraft production run.
Brave Eagle replaces Taiwan’s AT-3 and F-5 trainers
The Brave Eagle replaces both the AT-3 Tzu Chung and the F-5E/F in the ROCAF training syllabus.
AIDC says the change reduces pilot training from three stages on three aircraft types to three stages on two, with the T-5 covering both advanced and lead-in fighter training before student pilots move to frontline fighters.
With production complete, AIDC said its work on the program will shift to through-life support of the fleet.
Chuang estimated that open-ended support contracts for the T-5 and F-CK-1 fleets, covering maintenance, logistics, and spare parts, are worth more than NT$30 billion (approximately $940 million).