Taiwan's air force has finished flying its decades-old AT-3 trainer jets and handed the job to a home-built replacement, a neutral-to-positive step for the island's push to make its own military aircraft.

• The last AT-3 training flights were flown at the end of July, closing a run that started in 1984.
• The new Yung Ying advanced trainer, built by Taiwan's AIDC, now takes over pilot training and the Thunder Tiger aerobatic team.
• The AT-3 was more than a trainer — in wartime it could fly light attack and ground-strike missions.
• Paraguay, one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies, is reportedly in talks to buy retired Taiwanese jets to rebuild an air force that has had no jets for over 20 years.
• Taiwan's air force would not comment on the Paraguay talks, saying only that military cooperation follows wider foreign policy.

Outlook: A retirement ceremony for the AT-3 is expected soon, and the Paraguay deal could see the old jets flying again in South America from 2027.