Taipei: Taiwan's AT-3 trainer aircraft has completed its final flight-training missions and has been succeeded by the Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer (AJT), marking the end of an era in Taiwanese military aviation.

According to Focus Taiwan, the AT-3 has been an integral part of the Air Force's training fleet since its debut in 1984. This aircraft was a collaborative effort between the Aero Industry Development Center, now known as Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC), and the American company Northrop. In a bid to advance its indigenous defense capabilities, the Taiwanese government tasked AIDC with developing the AJT, known as the Brave Eagle, to replace the aging AT-3. The new AJT can also be adapted for combat missions such as light attack and ground-attack operations.

The final training missions for the AT-3 concluded in late July, with the Brave Eagle officially taking over its role. An official decommissioning ceremony for the AT-3 will be scheduled at a later date. In a related development, the Thunder Tigers aerobatic team, which previously utilized the AT-3, participated in a handover ceremony at the Gangshan base in Kaohsiung last August. This transition was marked by the delivery of Brave Eagle AJTs equipped with smoke generators to replace the team's former aircraft.

In a separate but related development, Latin American news outlet Zona Militar has reported that Paraguay is currently negotiating with Taiwan to procure jet aircraft, including both F-5s and AT-3s. This move is part of Paraguay's efforts to rejuvenate its jet combat capabilities, with plans to acquire 10-15 aircraft beginning in 2027. An anonymous Air Force official informed CNA that the relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan is both close and amicable, and that all military collaborations are aligned with the government's overarching foreign policy.