RoCAF Tiger IIs to be decommissioned

By the end of 2023, the Chung-Hua Min Guo Kong Jun (RoCAF, Republic of China Air Force) will withdraw all remaining Northrop F-5E and F-5F Tiger II fighter aircraft from operational service. Only the RF-5E will continue service for at least one year.

With the continuous delivery of new Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) T-5 Yung Ying (Brave Eagle) advanced jet trainers (AJT) to the 7th Flight Training Wing (FTW) at Taitung air base, the scheduled retirement of the legacy F-5E/F-5F is imminent of which approximately 25 are believed to be active.

In total, 66 AT-5s are expected to be delivered before the end of 2026 and will replace the F-5E/F with the 7th FTW at Taitung and the AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chung with the Air Force Academy (AFA) at Gangshan air base. By the end of 2024, it is planned that 33 AT-5s should have been delivered to the 7th FTW and 12 AT-5s to the AFA.

The delivery schedule is reported as two aircraft in 2021, eight in 2022, seventeen in 2023, eighteen in 2024, eighteen more in 2025, and the last three in 2026.

Credit photos: Tsungfang Tsai