https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_JH-7
Flounder), also known as the FBC-1 (Fighter/Bomber China-1) Flying Leopard, is a
tandem two-seat, twin-engine fighter-bomber in service with the People's
Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF), and the People's Liberation Army Air
Force (PLAAF). The main contractors are Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation
(XAC) and the 603rd Aircraft Design Institute (later named the First Aircraft
Institute of AVIC-I).
In the early 1970s, the PLAAF required a new fighter-bomber to replace the
Harbin H-5 and Nanchang Q-5. A request was duly submitted to the Ministry of
Aviation Industry (later renamed to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China),
which organized a domestic development program when efforts to secure a joint
venture with foreign partners failed. The program was authorized on 19 April
1983 by then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. The program was also aiming to make
use of newly imported British Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines at the time.
The JH-7A is equipped with domestic Chinese helmet mounted sight (HMS) for
evaluation, and this HMS currently being tested is developed by Xi'an Optronics
Group (Xi Guang Ji Tuan ????), a member of Northern Electro-Optic Co. Ltd
(??????????), the wholly owned subsidiary of Norinco, and the HMS on JH-7A was
developed from the helicopter HMS manufactured by the same company, thus both
share many common components. HMS tested on JH-7A is compatible with
air-to-air/surface missiles, and it is also compatible with airborne sensors
such as radars and electro-optics so that the sensors are slaved to HMS,
enabling the fast tracking and aiming of the weaponry. The cockpit of JH-7A
still retains some traditional single function dial indicators, but there are
two large color liquid crystal display multi-function displays which can be
monochrome if pilots choose. Other avionic upgrades of JH-7 include: replacing
Type 960-2 noise jammer with BM/KJ-8605, replacing Type 265A radar altimeter
with Type 271 radar altimeter, fully digitized fly-by-wire flight control
system, and in addition, Type 232H airborne radar is replaced by JL-10A pulse
Doppler radar, enabling JH-7A to fire laser-guided bombs and Kh-31P
anti-radiation missiles. The existing JH-7s were upgraded with JH-7A
electronics. Two additional hardpoints increased the total to 6 from the
original 4, and one-piece windscreen replaced the original three-piece
windscreen.
The JH-7A was the first Chinese aircraft to use paperless design, and the
software used was CATIA V5.
Role
Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer
Xian Aircraft Industry Corporation
First flight
14 December 1988
Introduction
1992
Status
Operational, in production
Primary users
People's Liberation Army Navy
People's Liberation Army Air Force
Number built
240 (as of 2014)
On its maiden flight on December 14, 1988, while en route back to the airport to
land, the engines of the JH-7 prototype suddenly begun to vibrate violently. The
test pilot Huang Bingxin (???) decided to make an emergency landing, but as he
approached the airport, the vibration was so great that two thirds of the
instruments had been shaken off the instrument panel, and all of the connectors
of the remaining third still attached to the panel had also been shaken loose,
so none of the instruments worked; the pilot nonetheless managed to eventually
land the prototype safely.
On June 8, 1991, a JH-7 prototype suddenly began to leak fuel at a high rate. Lu
Jun (??), a Russian trained Chinese test pilot, managed to make a safe emergency
landing when the fuel reserve had dropped to slightly more than 30 liters. Lu's
luck ran out approximately three years later when on April 4, 1994, a JH-7
prototype crashed during a test flight, killing him.
On August 19, 1992, the entire rudder of a JH-7 suddenly fell off at an altitude
of 5000 meters, while carrying four live missiles. Against orders to jettison
the missiles and abandon the aircraft, the test pilot decided to attempt an
emergency landing. Using mainly differential thrust of the two engines, the test
pilot Huang Bingxin (???) made it back to the airport and attempted to make an
emergency landing, but a tire at the starboard side exploded on touch down,
causing the aircraft to veer off course. Using brakes as control, the test pilot
made two attempts before finally releasing the drogue parachute to finally stop
safely.
The JH-7A entered service with the PLANAF in early 2004, and with the PLAAF by
the end of the year.
Specifications (JH-7)
General characteristics
Crew: 2: pilot, weapons operator
Payload: 9,000 kg (19,842 lb) of weapons
Length: 22.32 m (73 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 12.8 m (41 ft 7 in)
Height: 6.22 m (20 ft 4 in)
Empty weight: 14,500 kg (31,900 lb)
Loaded weight: kg (lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,475 kg (62,720 lb)
lbf) each
Thrust with afterburner: 91.26 kN (20,515 lbf) each
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.75 (1,808 km/h, 1,122 mph)
Combat radius: 1,759 km (890 nm, 1,093 mi)
Ferry range: 3,700 km (1,970 nm, 2,299 mi)
Service ceiling: 16,000 m (51,180 ft)
Armament
capacity of 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) external fuel and ordnance
Rockets: 57mm/90mm unguided rocket pods
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles: PL-5
PL-8
PL-9
Anti-ship missiles: Yingji-8K
Yingji-82K
Air-to-surface missiles: CM-802A
Kongdi-88
C-705
C-704
Anti-radiation missiles: Yingji-91
LD-10
CM-102
Bombs:
Unguided bombs
Laser-guided bombs GB1
GB5
Satellite-guided bombs LS-6
FT-12
GB6
FT-2
FT-3
FT-6
Avionics
JL-10A radar
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