TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — All 10 indigenous “Brave Eagle” Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) have been stationed at Zhihang Air Force Base in Taitung County, reports said Saturday (Jan. 7).

By the end of 2024, 33 Brave Eagles should be based in Taitung, and 12 at the Gangshan base in Kaohsiung City. The planes, produced by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), will eventually number 66 and replace F-5 and AT-3 training jets scheduled to be retired in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Airplane fans waited around the Taitung base over the past week to catch a glimpse of the 10th “Brave Eagle,” which only arrived at Zhihang last month, the Liberty Times reported.

Drills with the planes reportedly stopped last week, but as the New Year started, Indigenous Defense Fighters, Mirage 2000 jets, F-5E aircraft, and Brave Eagles resumed intensive training flights, according to the report.