DEFENSE/Locally designed jet trainer prototype may be ready in 2028: Developer

Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's main domestic aircraft developer said Monday it has completed the first stage of design for a military trainer aircraft destined to replace the Air Force's Beechcraft T-34C trainers, which are near the end of their service life.

With the completion of the first stage in the design process, the second stage can start once the Air Force initiates the process to develop and build a new trainer jet, according to Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC).

At present, a prototype should be built by 2028, and mass production should begin in 2031, AIDC said in a statement.

The plan to develop and build 45 domestically made trainers will cost an estimated NT$21.4 billion (US$690.4 million), AIDC said, while obtaining the same number of planes from other countries would cost NT$18.6 billion.

Some savings may be derived from maintenance fees spent on home-built planes over a lifespan of 25 years, which are estimated at NT$52 billion, less than the roughly NT$52.9 billion that would be needed for aircraft from abroad, AIDC said.

At the same time, investing in homemade jets could help boost the domestic economy and create nearly NT$39 billion in spillover effects, according to AIDC.

The Air Force purchased 49 T-34Cs in 1985, with 40 of them still in service.

Given that the T-34Cs have been in service for nearly 40 years and are not equipped with ejection seats designed to save a pilot's life in an emergency, several legislators have urged the Air Force to replace its aging trainer fleet.

According to military and aerospace industry sources, the T-34Cs will be gradually taken out of service starting in 2033.

About 200 domestic companies have the ability to participate in the development of Taiwan's first locally designed trainer, and more than 70 percent of its components are expected to be made domestically, the sources said.

AIDC said building a new jet trainer domestically was crucial to Taiwan's aerospace sector because it will help the sector bolster its capacity to make high-end aircraft systems and spare parts in preparation for developing next-generation fighter jets.