Brave Eagle Advanced Trainer: A Nation's Second Time Building Its Own Aircraft, with Thirty Years in Between

30-second overview: On September 24, 2026, two Brave Eagle advanced trainer aircraft numbered 1165 and 1166 rolled out from the Taichung Shalu facility, personally flown by AIDC chairman Tsao Chin-ping and test pilot to Gangshan Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung, completing the 66-aircraft production run after seven years. Taiwan's last domestically designed and mass-produced jet trainer was the IDF Ching-kuo delivered to the Air Force in 1992—thirty years earlier. The Brave Eagle, descended from the IDF, underwent over 80% redesign, achieved 55% domestic content, and guided over 200 domestic suppliers in elevating their manufacturing techniques to aerospace grade.

Keywords: Brave Eagle Advanced Trainer, AIDC, Homegrown Aircraft, IDF Ching-kuo, Chieh-Shou

The Final Two, Flown Back to Gangshan by the People Who Built Them

On September 24, 2026, AIDC held a "Brave Eagle Advanced Trainer Final Aircraft Rollout and Delivery Ceremony" at its Taichung Shalu facility. Former Air Force Vice Commander and AIDC Chairman Tsao Chin-ping and test pilot Lu Chih-yuan personally piloted two Brave Eagle aircraft numbered 1165 and 1166 on takeoff, performed a 500-foot low-level pass at full engine thrust in salute, and flew to Gangshan Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung for delivery, symbolizing completion of the 66-aircraft production run.¹

Seven years earlier, on September 24, 2019, the first Brave Eagle rolled out on the same date, named by then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Following its first flight in June 2020, AIDC completed the journey from design to first flight in three years and two months, a milestone recorded in the company's own history.¹²

From Chieh-Shou to Ching-kuo: What Aircraft Has Taiwan Built

To understand why this delivery matters, one must first examine Taiwan's history of building its own aircraft. A timeline compiled by the Central News Agency lays this out clearly: in 1968, the Chieh-Shou light trainer aircraft, developed by the Aeronautical Research Laboratory, rolled out; 58 were produced through 1974 and remained in service until decommissioned in 1982. In 1973, the Chung-Hsing trainer rolled out, with 55 subsequently produced. Beginning in 1974, Taiwan signed a co-production agreement with the United States to assemble 308 F-5 fighters. In 1980, the AT-3 trainer, designed independently, rolled out; 63 were built, and the Air Force Academy transitioned to it for advanced flight training in 1985.²

Taiwan's peak in aircraft manufacturing came in 1988: the first prototype of the IDF Ching-kuo rolled out, with 130 ultimately produced and delivered to the Air Force in 1992, equipped with domestically manufactured Tien Chien I and Tien Chien II missiles.² From the IDF's delivery in 1992 to the launch of the new advanced trainer program in 2017, Taiwan had thirty years without completing a full cycle from design drawing to mass production.²

Brave Eagle Descended from the IDF, but Over 80% Redesigned

The new advanced trainer initiative was announced through a "Homegrown Aircraft" forum held by the Ministry of National Defense in July 2016, with formal development and manufacturing commencing in February 2017 under a "three-party, two-contract" arrangement involving the Air Force, the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, and AIDC, with AIDC serving as the prime contractor for overall aircraft design integration, component production, assembly, and testing.¹²

AIDC stated in its press release that while the Brave Eagle descended from the IDF, its aerodynamics, external configuration, and fuselage details differ significantly, with over 80% of the entire aircraft redesigned, and domestic content raised substantially to 55%. Through subcontracting and mentorship, over 200 domestic suppliers participated, enabling these suppliers to elevate their manufacturing techniques to aerospace grade.¹ The significance of this 55% extends beyond the number: factories previously engaged in other industries had to learn to deliver components to aerospace specifications.

Trainer Aircraft Transition Reshapes Pilot Training Pipeline

With all Brave Eagle aircraft delivered, they replace the F-5 fleet trainer and AT-3 trainer. The AT-3 completed its final flight training mission in late July 2026, handing off fleet training duties to the Brave Eagle. Air Force Academy flight training thus advanced from a "three-stage, three-aircraft" model (T-34, AT-3, F-5) to a "three-stage, two-aircraft" model (T-34, Brave Eagle), enabling trained pilots to transition directly to F-16V combat training missions.¹²

This change appears merely to be aircraft substitution, but it actually transforms the entire training pipeline. Previously, students had to transition between three aircraft types, with conversion time and logistics burden distributed across three systems; with two aircraft types, the same flight hours now allow more time for tactical training.¹

After Delivery: Focus Shifts to Sustainment

Production completion does not mean project completion. Tsao Chin-ping stated that following this milestone, the next phase involves military aircraft maintenance, upgrades, and logistics support, with AIDC's "full-life-cycle" contract already in full operation. AIDC General Manager Chuang Hsiu-mei estimated that maintenance and spare parts supply for both the IDF Ching-kuo and Brave Eagle Advanced Trainer represent an overall logistics contract value exceeding NT$30 billion.³

Beyond these achievements, reporting also noted two less favorable developments. One Brave Eagle previously crashed, reducing the Air Force's inventory from 66 to 65 aircraft; AIDC stated that whether to produce a replacement aircraft would be a comprehensive decision by the Ministry of National Defense and the Air Force, with production tooling and fixtures fully preserved for potential restart.³ Additionally, an Audit Office report previously indicated that Brave Eagle engines had experienced elevated fault frequency in recent years; Chuang Hsiu-mei clarified that investigation showed no quality defects in the engine itself, with most cases related to objective factors such as airport operating environment, and AIDC has completed improvements through cross-departmental collaboration with the Air Force.³

Regarding next steps, Chuang Hsiu-mei pointed toward unmanned aircraft. She stated that before next-generation fighters materialize, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and geopolitical tensions demonstrate that unmanned aircraft have already transformed the operational concepts of traditional high-cost weapons systems, becoming central to asymmetric warfare; the Ministry of National Defense's policy emphasis on unmanned aircraft development is entirely correct, and AIDC will continue investing in related research and development.³

An Industry's Second Chance, with the Next Project as the Test

For Taiwan's aerospace industry, the significance of 66 Brave Eagle aircraft extends beyond the Air Force gaining a new trainer fleet—it lies in the fact that thirty years later, this production line has completed another full cycle from design, test flight, to mass production, bringing over two hundred suppliers along.¹²

Whether the next project will come, and when, remains unanswered. The Central News Agency's reporting on the same day noted that AIDC is also competing for a primary trainer aircraft program; what the industry watches is whether the suppliers elevated to aerospace grade during the Brave Eagle program can be retained during the gap until the next project.¹²

Further reading:

• Taiwan's Sports Development and the Olympics — Understanding Taiwan's position in the international arena through the name "Chinese Taipei."

References