The manufacturing of the T-5 Courageous Eagle fighters to the Republic of China Air Drive has fallen additional delayed, with 11 of the plane presently overdue for supply. In keeping with the home plane manufacturing schedule, the Taipei-based Aerospace Industrial Improvement Company is obliged provide 66 Courageous Eagles, with a supply schedule of two fighters in 2021, eight in 2022, 17 in 2023, 18 in 2024, 18 in 2025, and three in 2026.A written report submitted by the Republic of China Ministry of Nationwide Defence to the Legislative Yuan in February 2025 indicated that the Air Drive ought to have acquired 18 plane in 2025, plus the 2 overdue from 2024, of which solely 30 %, or a complete of six plane, have been acquired. Supply of the Courageous Eagle is thus confirmed to have begun to fall delayed in 2024, with the shortfall worsening considerably in 2025.
In early July 2025 the Republic of China Air Drive retired its final F-5F fighter plane and RF-5E reconnaissance planes from energetic service, marking a ultimate finish to the light-weight fight jet’s 60 12 months lengthy service in China, and a big step in the direction of its retirement globally. The fighters outfitted one of many six squadrons inside the Air Drive, with the Courageous Eagle having been supposed to function a successor in each coaching and fight roles. The Courageous Eagle is a really light-weight ‘4+ technology’ fighter, and is an enlarged and extensively modernised variant of the F-CK fighter that entered service within the Nineties. The plane made its first flight in January 2020.
In parallel to the Courageous Eagle program, the Republic of China Air Drive in January 2026 moved forward with the event of a brand new improve program for the domestically produced F-CK Ching Kuo fighters aiming to carry their capabilities to a ‘4+ technology’ customary. This program is predicted to extensively leverage applied sciences developed for the Courageous Eagle to boost the older plane, specifically indigenous AESA radar and different avionics associated applied sciences. Taipei-based analysts have emphasised the significance of accelerating the variety of ‘4+ technology’ fighters in service, because of the low probability that the Air Drive will have the ability to transition to fielding fifth technology fighters for the foreseeable future.
The Courageous Eagle, modernisation of the F-CK, the lately accomplished F-16V improve program to boost out of date F-16A/B fighters, and the procurement of 66 F-16 Block 70 fighters to interchange problematic and out of date French Mirage 2000 fighters, are between them supposed to carry all six fighter squadrons to ‘4+ technology’ requirements. Work has additionally commenced to provide an indigenous engine to interchange the American F124 that’s presently powering the F-CK and Courageous Eagle fighters. The Defence Ministry can be contemplating pursuing the event of a fifth technology fighter to succeed the F-CK in service, probably with an supposed service entry date within the late 2030s, which is predicted to construct on lots of the technological advances that have been made with the Courageous Eagle program. The Courageous Eagle program in flip has constructed on work on the F-CK Ching Kuo, and earlier than than license manufacturing and modernisation of the F-5 on a really massive scale within the Nineteen Seventies.
