On 10 June 2020, Taiwan’s newly manufactured advanced jet training aircraft, the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) T-5 (AT-5) Yung Ying (“Brave Eagle”), serial 11001/08-9001, took to the air for its maiden flight at Ching Chuan Kang Air Force Base.
The AT-5 Brave Eagle was accompanied by two F-CK-1D Ching-Kuo combat aircraft. Tsungfang Tsai was there to photograph the new training aircraft.
The new, dual engined aircraft, was noted first on 2 June 2020 at Ching Chuan Kang AFB performing taxi tests. AIDC plans to deliver 66 AT-5s to the Chung-Hua Min Guo Kong Jun (Republic of China Air Force) by 2026, to replace the AT-3s, which the air force plans to retire.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen oversaw the first public test flight of a new locally designed and made advanced jet trainer on Monday, part of her government’s plan to boost defences in the face of a growing challenge from China.
Speaking at an air base in the central city of Taichung, Tsai said the new aircraft disproved naysayers who thought Taiwan lacked the technology and should focus on meeting its defence needs from abroad.
“The new trainer aircraft not only has created more than 2,000 job opportunities, but will also pass on experiences and cultivate a new generation of aerospace industry technical talent,” she said.
Taiwan’s armed forces are mostly equipped by the United States, but Tsai has made development of an advanced home-grown defence industry a priority, especially as China, which claims the island as its own, steps up military modernisation efforts.
The test flight came amid a stepped-up Chinese military presence near the democratic island. Taiwan says China’s air force has flown near it at least seven times in the last two weeks, the latest on Sunday.
On October 2, 2019, Taiwan unveiled new indigenous advanced jet trainer named “Yung Yin”
The new AT-5 Brave Eagle, made by state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp with a budget of T$68.6 billion ($2.32 billion), is the first jet made domestically since the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighter, rolled out more than three decades ago.
The single AT-5, flanked by a Ching-kuo fighter, made a 12-minute flight in front of Tsai. Its first official test flight was earlier this month, less than a year after the prototype was unveiled.
The trainer can be equipped with weapons. Taiwan’s air force plans on taking 66 units by 2026 to replace aging AT-3 and F-5 training aircraft.
The Brave Eagle will replace the military’s decades-old AT-3 trainer aircraft and F-5E/F lead-in fighter trainer, the MND said.
Taiwan unveiled its largest defence spending increase in more than a decade last year, and the government is also developing new, domestically-made submarines.
Since Rafale’s RBE2/AESA has been adapted into HAL’s Tejas, it could fit into F-CK-1 Ching-kuo, as well as on Mirage-2000, these would have a radar very close to the F-35’s radar power, and eventually integrating the Meteor missile. The OSF-IT and DDM-NG optical systems would be great too : OSF-IT would make Chengdu J-20’s stealth useless. Actually, the French also dev’d a standalone version of SPECTRA’s active stealth (also for Tejas). I think that a non afterburner version of SNECMA M88 would fit as it has a much smaller diameter than the Ching-kuo’s Honeywell/ITEC F125-GA-100… with 2x 50kN dry thrust, it would easily allow a Mach2+ supercruise while allowing to stuff more fuel in.
Taipei should better acquire Pilatus PC-21 as they allow direct conversion from propellers to jet-fighters. They much better consider such an improved F-CK-1.
They’d also better consider Rafale than new F-16s which will have SERIOUS issues with PLAAF Su-30/35 as well as J-20.