Senior pilots in Taiwan's Air Force currently have to leave in their late 40s or early 50s1, and the Ministry of National Defense wants selected pilots to be able to fly until the age of 58 instead2. The ministry sent the proposal to the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's Cabinet, last month and is still awaiting approval1. Its reasoning is one that many air forces will recognise: experienced military pilots leave early for airlines, where they can keep flying until 6512. The plan was presented to lawmakers on 12 October, ten days after the first two of 66 new F-16 Block 70 fighters arrived in Taiwan23.

What Taiwan is proposing

Under Taiwan's Act of Military Service for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers, a lieutenant colonel may serve a maximum of 26 years and a colonel a maximum of 30 years, counted from the day of commissioning4. According to the ministry's report, that means pilots at these ranks must leave at around 48 and 52 years of age1. The proposal would create 72 additional posts, outside the regular establishment, for highly qualified lieutenant colonel and colonel pilots with at least 14 years of service2. They would keep their rank, could serve until 58, and would not have to take command or administrative roles2. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said: "Their job would simply be to fly."2 They must still meet the physical requirements, would train and mentor younger pilots, and would keep receiving aviation duty allowances and retention bonuses2. The ministry estimates the scheme would cost more than NT$40 million (US$1.3 million)2.

"If they can serve until 58, the gap with civilian airline pilots, who can fly until 65, will not be that large," Koo told lawmakers2. The number 58 already exists in the same law: it is the discharge age for majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels4.

Why experienced pilots leave

The Air Force's pilot staffing rate stands at 87.8 per cent, and officials said it could rise to 91.3 per cent once pilots now in training qualify in January2. Koo said 57 Air Force pilots had retired so far this year, broadly in line with previous years, and that all had completed their minimum required period of service2. The ministry told the legislature that retaining veteran pilots remains difficult because the post-pandemic expansion of commercial aviation has increased demand for experienced aviators2. According to the report, many military pilots leave before reaching their service limits so they can join airlines sooner, where they can work until 65 and earn significantly higher salaries1.

In September, military analyst Chieh Chung of the Association for Strategic Foresight pointed to the budget for penalties paid by Air Force officers who leave before completing their required service: NT$50.59 million in 2027, about 2.5 times the NT$20.26 million budgeted in 20255. Because pilots face substantially higher penalties than other personnel, he said, the increase likely reflects more pilots retiring early5. Incentive payments for pilots who stay beyond their minimum period have fallen for four consecutive years, from NT$838.28 million in 2023 to NT$755.78 million in 20275. He also noted the Air Force's plan to add 107 pilot officers to the new wing that will operate the F-16 Block 70s5.

The F-16 Block 70 build-up

The United States notified Congress in 2019 of a possible sale to Taiwan of 66 F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft with engines, AESA radars and other equipment, at an estimated US$8.0 billion6. Deliveries were expected to start in 2023 and finish by 2026, but technical issues have pushed the timetable back3. The first two jets, tail numbers 6727 and 6728, landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on 2 October, roughly a month later than initially expected3. They join the 7th Tactical Fighter Wing, which was established on 1 December 2023 and is being organised into operational squadrons in three phases, with aircrew and maintenance personnel sent to the United States in batches for transition training3. Koo said 63 of the 66 aircraft had entered production, but stopped short of promising that all 66 would be delivered by the end of next year2.

How military and airline age limits compare

Rank-based service limits are not unique to Taiwan. In the United States, a regular Air Force lieutenant colonel who is not on a promotion list must retire after 28 years of active commissioned service, and a colonel after 30 years, unless an exception applies78. The US Government Accountability Office found in 2018 that operational staffing gaps for fighter pilots had grown across all three services that fly fighters over the preceding two to five fiscal years, and that the Department of Defense had no data on how many pilots left to fly for airlines, even though it cited projected airline hiring when justifying higher retention bonuses9.

On the civil side, the international standard sets 65 as the upper limit. Under ICAO Annex 1, as amended in 2014, all pilots on multi-pilot crews in international commercial air transport may continue to serve until they reach 6510. In the United States, no pilot may serve on an airline flight under Part 121 once they have reached their 65th birthday11. In the European Union, the Court of Justice upheld the age limit of 65 for commercial air transport pilots in 2017, ruling that it is justified by the aim of ensuring civil aviation safety12.

What this means for pilots weighing a military career

For anyone considering a military route into flying, the proposal illustrates the trade-off the ministry describes: the later a pilot leaves the military, the fewer years remain before the airline limit of 65110. A Taiwanese pilot who stayed until 58 would still have up to seven years before reaching that limit210. Whether the Cabinet approves the plan, and when it would take effect, has not been announced1.