AIDC AT-3

what is it?

The AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chung (Chinese: 自強號高級教練—輕攻擊機; pinyin: Zìqiáng Hào Gāojí Jiàoliàn—Qīng Gōngjījī; Wade–Giles: Tzu4-ch'iang2 Hao4 Kao1-chi2 Chiao4-lien4–Ch'ing1 Kung1-chi1-chi1; lit. 'Self Reliance Type Advanced Trainer—Light Attack Aircraft') is an advanced jet trainer and former light attack aircraft operated by the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF). A total of sixty-two aircraft were manufactured by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation of Taiwan in collaboration with American aircraft manufacturer Northrop between 1984 and 1990.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 10.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 904 km/htop speed
• range 2,280 kmwithout refuelling
• size 7,940 kgmax take-off weight
• built 62made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 46 years ago, in 1980.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.5 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 2,280 km: 13× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.7× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1980-09-16

introduced

1984

retired

2025

status

retired

number built

62

role

trainer

origin

🇹🇼 Taiwan

makers

Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation

engines

2× Honeywell TFE731-2

crew

2

length

12.9 m

wingspan

10.5 m

height

4.4 m

max take-off weight

7,940 kg

top speed

904 km/h

range

2,280 km

ceiling

14,650 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.