Air Force says no decision yet on T-34C trainer replacement plan
ROC Central News Agency
01/09/2024 07:31 PM
Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Air Force said Tuesday that it has not made a final decision on whether to choose locally designed and built jet trainers to replace its aging T-34C fleet.
The comments came one day after a leading local aircraft maker said it is ready to build a domestic jet trainer prototype by 2028 if the Air Force gives a nod to the project.
"We are still considering whether to choose locally-made trainers, trainers that are the results of local and international cooperation, or simply rent new trainers instead of buying them," Maj. Gen. Tsao Ting-ming (曹定明), deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Department of Strategic Planning, said during a press briefing.
On Monday, Taichung-based Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) announced that it had completed the first stage of design for a military trainer aircraft meant 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 of developing and building a new trainer jet, according to AIDC's press release.
At present, a prototype should be built by 2028, and mass production should begin in 2031, AIDC said in a statement.
According to AIDC, the plan to develop and build 45 domestically made trainers will cost an estimated NT$21.4 billion (US$690.4 million), 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, 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, AIDC added.
In response, Tsao said that the MND has been supportive of the local defense industry.
However, the military has to make overall and comprehensive considerations before pushing money into a certain project due to the limited defense budget and the needs of all military branches, he said.
"For the time being, we believe that the most important job for the Air Force is to make sure AIDC will deliver the Brave Eagle trainers it built on time and on target," Tsao added.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Ho Chen-hsiang (何振翔), chief of the Air Force Command's Planning Division, said the Air Force T-34C trainers are not expected to reach the end of their service period between 2033 and 2035.
"So the time to decide on T-34C trainers' replacement has not come," Ho added.
AIDC is responsible for designing and building the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) that entered service in the nation's Air Force in the 1990s after the U.S. government refused to sell F-16s to Taiwan.
Since beginning service in 1992, the IDF has become one of the main backbones of the Air Force fleet, which include U.S.-made F-16s and French-made Mirage 2000-5s.
Following the development of IDF, AIDC has also been building its own Advanced Trainer Jet (ATJ), known as the "Brave Eagle," since 2017 as part of President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) plan to build indigenous warplanes, warships, and submarines.
The prototype of the new ATJ, serial 11001/08-9001, flew for the first time in June 2020.
AIDC has so far delivered more than 20 ATJs to the Air Force and is scheduled to deliver all 66 advanced trainer aircraft to the government by 2026.
The ATJs will replace both the aging F-5 fighter jets and AT-3 trainers that have been in use for Taiwan's Air Force since the 1960s and 1980s.
Meanwhile, the Air Force also 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 lawmakers have urged the Air Force to replace its aging trainer fleet.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)
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