Xian JH-7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_JH-7

The Xian JH-7 (Jianjiji Hongzhaji – fighter-bomber); NATO reporting name
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).

The first JH-7s were delivered to the PLANAF in the mid-1990s for evaluation,
with the improved JH-7A entering service in 2004.

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.

JH-7
The PLANAF required a similar aircraft and the program set out to develop a
variant for each set of requirements. The PLAAF variant would be a two-man
all-weather deep strike bomber, with side-by-side cockpit seating, electronic
countermeasures (ECM), and terrain following capabilities similar to the General
Dynamics F-111. The PLANAF would receive a two-man all-weather, tandem cockpit,
strike and reconnaissance aircraft. The PLAAF variant was dropped in the early
1980s, with the PLANAF variant becoming the JH-7.

Six prototypes were built by December 1988, and the PLANAF received 12 to 18
aircraft in the early 1990s for evaluation. The first aircraft used imported
Rolls-Royce Spey Mk.202 engines, later replaced by a license-built copy, the
WS-9. They were equipped with the Type 243H multifunction radar, which could
detect ships at a maximum of 175 kilometres (109 mi), and MiG-21-sized aerial
targets at 75 kilometres (47 mi).

The JH-7 was designed as an anti-shipping fighter-bomber. As with the later
JH-7A, its aerial combat capability was insignificant given the large number of
specialist aircraft for that role.

JH-7A
When the PLA examined the future role of air forces, it identified a need for
precision air-to-surface capability. An improved JH-7, the JH-7A, was designed
to meet this requirement. The JH-7A's general and deputy general designers were
Tang Changhong (???) and Wu Jieqin (???) respectively.

The JH-7A had a lighter and stronger airframe than the JH-7, allowing the newer
aircraft to carry a maximum ordnance load of 9000 kg. In PLANAF, this allowed
four YJ-82 anti-ship missiles to be carried, compared to the two on the JH-7.

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.


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

Produced
1988-2017

Number built
270 (as of 2018)

On its maiden flight on 14 December 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 8 June 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. Three
years later, on 4 April 1994, a JH-7 prototype crashed during a test flight,
killing Lu.

On 19 August 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.

In 2007 JH-7s went abroad to participate in "Peace Mission" exercises of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In April 2012, multiple JH-7 aircraft
joined a Russia-China joint naval exercise in eastern China. In 2013, JH-7s
participated in a Russia-China joint exercise held in Russian territory.

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)
Wing area: 42.2m² (ft²)
Empty weight: 14,500 kg (31,900 lb)
Loaded weight: kg (lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,475 kg (62,720 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Xian WS-9 afterburning turbofans Dry thrust: 54.29 kN (12,250
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: 1,760 km (950 nm, 1,100 mi with one in-flight refueling
(estimated), 900 km without refueling (estimated))
Ferry range: 3,700 km (1,970 nm, 2,299 mi)
Service ceiling: 16,000 m (51,180 ft)
Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)

Armament

Guns: 1× 23mm twin-barrel GSh-23L autocannon, 300 rounds
Hardpoints: 9 in total (6× under-wing, 2× wing-tip, 1× under-fuselage) with a
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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