AT-3 trainer completes final missions, replaced by Brave Eagle: Source

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's AT-3 trainer aircraft has completed its final flight-training missions and been replaced by the Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer (AJT), a source familiar with the matter said Monday.

The AT-3 has been one of the Air Force's trainer aircraft since it entered service in 1984. It was jointly developed by the Aero Industry Development Center, the predecessor of Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC), and U.S. company Northrop.

Under the government's indigenous defense program, AIDC later developed the AJT to gradually replace the aging AT-3, which could also be adapted for wartime missions, including light attack and ground-attack operations.

The final flight-training missions were completed in late July, with the AT-3 officially replaced by the Brave Eagle, the source said. An official decommissioning ceremony will be held at a later date.

For the Thunder Tigers aerobatic team, which previously flew the AT-3, the Air Force held a handover ceremony at its Gangshan base in Kaohsiung in August last year, after Brave Eagle AJTs equipped with smoke generators were delivered to replace the team's previous aircraft.

Meanwhile, Latin American multimedia news portal Zona Militar has reported that Paraguay is in talks with Taiwan to acquire jet aircraft, including F-5s and AT-3s, as part of efforts to rebuild its jet combat capability. The South American country is expected to acquire 10-15 of the aircraft starting in 2027.

An Air Force official who asked to remain anonymous told CNA that Paraguay and Taiwan maintain close and friendly relations, and that all military cooperation and exchanges are conducted in line with the government's overall foreign policy.

The official, however, declined to comment on the report.