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 J-7D Fishbed
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A rare photo of a J-7D being dragged by a braking parachute after
landing is shown here. J-7D was co-developed by CAC and
611 Institute in the early 90s in order to address some of the shortcomings of J-7C/Mig-21MF
all-weather fighter, such as poor maneuverability and poor performance of its fire-control system.
As the result, a more powerful WP-13FI turbojet (7,300kg w/ afterburning) was installed to improve
the maneuverability. Avionics were particularly upgraded, which include more reliable JL-7A J-band
fire-control radar, HUD, air data computer, TACAN, as well as new RWR antennas on top of the vertical
tail. The aircraft also features an improved weapon management system for carrying the latest PL
series IR homing AAMs such as PL-8. Nevertheless, the J-7D design has proved to be as
unsuccessful as J-7C, since it can neither fire medium-range radar-homing AAMs in BVR air combat,
nor can it maneuver as agily as J-7E in close-in dogfight. Therefore in a sense it is no
better than Mig-21bis which flew 20 years earlier. Like its predecessor, J-7D only saw limited
service as a dedicated night fighter wearing a new light gray camouflage. Currently two night fighter
regiments are equipped with J-7D: one in the 15th Division (serial number 30x6x) and the other
in the 29th Division (serial number 25x0x).
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J-7E Fishbed
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A PLAAF J-7E carrying two PL-5B short-range
AAMs (IR homing to 5km) and an external tank is ready for take-off. This new variant of J-7 features
double-delta wings and wears a light gray camouflage. The new wings retain the existing leading-edge
sweep angle of 57° inboard but have reduced sweep of only 42° outboard. This results in a slightly
larger wing span and 8.17% more wing area, giving J-7E a bigger fuel capacity and better
maneuverability. It is also fitted with a JT-1 HUD, RKL-204 RWR, SS/SC-4 air data computer, improved Type
226 ranging radar, JD-3 TACAN, RKZ-404D chaff/flare dispenser and GPS (fitted on J-7EB). Main
armament includes up to four PL-5B or two PL-8 IR-guided AAMs and a single 30mm cannon on the starboard
side. Powered by an upgraded WP-13F turbojet (14,330lb with afterburning), J-7E is believed to be
more deadly in dog fight than its predecessor. It was reported that "a few hundred" J-7E have
entered service with PLA naval aviation (serial number 81x4x) and PLAAF
(serial numbers 10x5x, 11x4x, 12x2x, 15x3x, 31x5x, 50x8x, 72x6x*), replacing
obsolete J-6 and earlier J-7B. Its unarmed version is also used by PLAAF August 1st Aerobatic
Demonstration Team as J-7EB. * All serve in the "Blue Force Squadron" at the Air Force Flight Test & Training Center. The aircraft may wear a new squadron patch on their vertical tails. |
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F-7MG/PG Fishbed
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Yet another variant of J-7/Mig-21 family -- F-7MG was publically revealed
at the Zhuhai International Airshow in 1996 (M: modified, G: GEC-Marconi). It appears to be an improved
F-7M with a J-7E style double delta wing plus some other upgrades, including a new one-piece
windshield, GEC-Marconi/LETRI Super Skyranger multi-mode PD radar (I band,
15km for missiles and 5km for guns), new color CRT displays, 106MG HUD, HOTAS control, GEC-Marconi air
data computer and WP-13F turbojet (13,200lb w/ afterburning). Its maximum climb rate is 38,300ft/min
(195m/s), combat radius is 850km (hi-hi-hi air-superiority role) and maximum load is 1,800kg. The new
wing suggests the same design on J-7E has proven to be successful. However, since its basic design
of Mig-21F has been more than 40 years old, this approach of gradual evolution is open to debate. The
first customer is Pakistan which had ordered 51 (dubbed F-7PG)
since early 2000. Equipped with Italian Grifo 7PG PD radar (search 55km, track 37km) instead of the SSR
radar, these F-7PGs are replacing PAF's aging J-6/Mig-19 and will
counter India's Mig-21bis UPG fleet. The latest news claimed that the first batch of 20 were delivered to
Pakistan in December 2001, with the rest to be delivered by summer 2002.
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J-7G Fishbed
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As the Chinese equivalent of the successful F-7MG/PG, J-7G is quickly
being developed at CAC. This new variant features domestically designed electronics (including a new
HUD) specifically for PLAAF and PLA Naval Aviation. It may also be powered by an upgraded version of
WP-13F turbojet engine. However todate few of its details are available. The prototype of J-7G first flew in June 2002 and the delivery to PLAAF will start
in early 2003. It is expected that the production of J-7E will come to the end in 2003 once
J-7G is ready for production. The introduction of J-7G suggests that J-10 might
only enter limited production and won't be able to replace all J-7/8s.
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F-8IIM Finback
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To improve the poor performance of J-8B (J-8II), SAC (Shengyang Aircraft
Corporation) and 601 Institute have developed F-8IIM, a private venture for the oversea
market. Here an F-8IIM was displaying a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons
it can carry, they include (from outboard to inboard) PL-8, R-27/AA-10 and PL-5B, as well as
free-drop iron bombs carried under the centerline of the fuselage. The significance of this
variant is highlighted by a Russian Phazotron Zhuk-8II (FG-8)
look-down, shoot-down radar (forward sphere 70km, rear sphere 40km), replacing the obsolete
Type-208/208A radar onborad J-8B. The Zhuk-8II able to to track up to 10 targets and engage 2
targets simultaneously with radar-guided AAMs (e.g. AA-10), as well as to launch anti-ship
missiles (e.g. Kh-31A). Other improvements include a new HUD
and a MFD, HOTAS control, combined INS/GPS (Type 563B), integrated ECM system, ARINC429
databus, a 3,000 hour life airframe and two upgraded WP-13AIII turbojet. The change in
aerodynamics is minimum and aircraft is actually heavier, resulting in a slightly poorer
maneuverability. Like F-7MG, it is not expected to be acquired by PLAAF in large numbers.
Two F-8IIM prototypes were built. The test flight was completed by January 1998 and so
far it has yet to find a customer. The latest news suggested that a domestic version of
J-8IIM (J-8H?) is under development. This
version is equipped with the same Zhuk-8II PD radar, of which 100 were reportedly ordered from
Russia. The radar enables J-8H to fire R-77/AA-12 medium AAM with active radar homing.
The aircraft may also be powered by two newly developed WP-14 turbojet engines as well.
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J-8C Finback
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Regarded as the most powerful and the most mysterious varient of the J-8
series, J-8C (J-8III) has long been rumored as a much improved multi-role fighter. It features
an integrated fire-control system including a storage management system (SMS), and a new PD radar (Elta EL/M2034 or Type 1471?). This allows the aircraft to
carry various air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons including radar-guided AAMs for BVR attack. Its
flight control system is digital quadruplex FBW and it is eqipped with an inflight refuelling probe for extend combat missions. An IRST system may be
fitted in front of the windshield, but this has not been confirmed. Small canard wings and an additional
pair of wing fences may be installed to improve its performance at lower speeds. Its redesigned cockpit features a HUD, an MFD and a radar display. The
powerplants are two newly developed WP-14 Kun Lun turbojets
(7,500kg with afterburing) giving J-8C a greater agility. Even though it looks externally similar
to J-8D, J-8C was never revealed to the public and until recently only limited information
was available (shown here as the #8301 prototype). The development started at SAC (with Russian/Israeli
assistance?) right after the cancellation of the Sino-US Peace Pearl project (to upgrade J-8B
with APG-66 radar) in 1989. First flew in 1993, J-8C completed its test flight program in late
2001 and was believed to have entered the limited service with PLAAF (26th Division/serial numbers 20x7x & 21x7x).
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J-8D Finback
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J-8D (J-8IIA?) is the first Chinese fighter equipped with in-flight
refuelling system. Except for a fixed, non-retractable refuelling probe installed on the starboard
side of the cockpit, J-8D appears to be generally similar to the J-8B 02 Batch (it has been
speculated that J-8B 02 Batch can have the refuelling probe attached
quickly, turning it into J-8D). This new generataion of J-8 also has upgraded avionics such as HK-13E HUD, 563B INS, JD-3II TACAN and RKL-800A
integreted ECM suite (including KJ-8602 RWR), plus upgraded fire-control radar (KLJ-1? with look-down shoot-down mode) capable of firing PL-8 IR guided
and PL-11 semi-active radar guided AAMs. Its ground attack capability has also been enhanced, as
shown in the picture carrying unguided bombs and rockets. At least 30 J-8Ds are believed to
have been in service with PLAAF (serial numbers 11x0x) and PLA Naval
Aviation (serial number 81x9x) since 1996, but it appears that only a few pilots have qualified
for performing the dangerous rendezvous with H-6U tankers.
With an extended combat radius of 1,200km, these J-8Ds could strengthen PLA's ability of
power projection, especially when escorting JH-7 fighter bomber over the disputed South
China Sea.
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