AIDC AT - 3 The AIDC AT - 3 " Tzu Chung " ( ) ( " Self Reliance " ) is an advanced jet trainer operated by the Republic of China Air Force ( ROCAF ) . A total of sixty - two aircraft were manufactured by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation of the Taiwan ( Republic of China ) in collaboration with US aircraft manufacturer Northrop between 1984 and 1990 . Two A - 3 single - seat attack version were also built . Design and development . Design of the advanced jet trainer began in 1975 with a conventional low - wing configuration with a tricycle undercarriage , tandem seat cockpit , and twin turbofans mounted in nacelles on either side of the fuselage . After the design was approved in 1978 , two prototypes were produced . The first aircraft rolled out on July 17 , 1980 and made its maiden flight on 16 September 1980 . Further evaluation resulted in a contract for 60 AT - 3As for the ROCAF . The AT - 3 is a low - wing monoplane with a straight wing and a conventional slab tailplane . The AT - 3 has five weapon mounts ( one centerline , two inboard underwing , two outboard underwing ) and wingtip launch rails . There are two Zero - zero Martin - Baker 10 ejection seats in the tandem dual - control cockpit of production models . The rear seat ( the Instructor position ) is elevated 30 cm to allow better over - the - nose visibility . There ' s a rarely used small bomb bay feature in the aircraft , now mostly holding an auxiliary fuel tank . AT - 3 has two Honeywell / Garrett TFE731 - 2 - 2L non - afterburning turbofan engines , producing a total thrust of 3178 kg ( 31 . 1 kN ; 7000 lb ) . It is able to carry various size iron bombs , rocket pods , AIM - 9 Sidewinder missiles and locally produced TC - 1 IR Air - to - air missile s . Operational history . The first AT - 3A operator is the Flight Training Command in ROCAF Academy . In 1988 the Thunder Tiger demonstration team replaced its F - 5E aircraft with AT - 3s . On September 9 , 1989 the famous Cold War 35th Combat Squadron ( Night Attack ) replaced its T - 33 Shooting Star trainers with AT - 3s painted in SE Asia jungle colors . The AT - 3s delivered to the 35th Combat Squadron ( Night Attack ) were equipped with semi - recessed twin 12 . 7 mm machine guns in the bomb bay . The 35th Squadron later relocated to ROCAF Academy for logistic reasons , and later stood down in 1999 with its aircraft transferred to the Flight Training Command . The aircraft operates both as an advanced trainer and for weapons training , and all AT - 3 in service with ROCAF are now painted in the Thunder Tiger ' s Blue , White and Red colors . The AT - 3 went through a mid - life update ( MLU ) from 2001 to 2006 , which will allow the aircraft to operate beyond 2016 . The XA - 3 " Lui Meng " ( ) ( " Thunder " ) single - seat attack version never progressed beyond the prototype stage . Two such aircraft were built , numbered 901 and 902 . These aircraft are now retired and on display . AT - 3B # 825 is on loan to AIDC . These three aircraft were able to carry a shortened version of the HF - 2 air - launched Anti - ship missile , and were combat - ready with this version of missile during the 1995 / 1996 Third Taiwan Strait Crisis . The armed two - seat AT - 3B upgrade did enter service with the ROCAF .