I knew the Fantan didn’t carry muntions larger than 500-kg…I was just asking if the PLA has any laser-guided weapons of that size perhaps for use on JH-7 or Su-30.

I’ve noticed the bit about the rocket pods though with multiple pictures of Q-5’s and J-11’s using them in exercises floating around.

Any pictures of the LS-250? It would seem to be a better fit for most missions for the Q-5….like I said for something like tank plinking. the GBU-12 has proven to be a great weapon for this so I’d assume the LS-250 (or is it LS-250J?) would be a good weapon for it too.

You happen to know the name of the targeting pod the Fantan uses?

As far as I know, only up to 500kg bombs exist. These include both Chinese made and Russian made KaB bombs. The Su-30MKK has 1500kg KaB-1500kr bunker busters but these are TV guided.

As the SAPSAN-E pod never become operational, the Su-30MKK cannot use laser guided weapons unless it is on a dive so it can bring its OLS-30/31E to point to a ground target. This leaves domestic alternative laser targeting pods on the JH-7A and Q-5.

Some pics of Chinese designed LGBs here, possibly the LS-250.

I would have thought the Q-5Ds would have eliminated the bomb bay and replace it with the fuel tank since the nuke function appears to have gone out of the modern Q-5s.

If 500kg bombs are used, you can put them in the inner wing points, while the mid center wing points are reserved for the external fuel tanks. No problem.

Just one question regarding the ongoing discussion on later or earlier aircraft, prototypes, pre-serial and serial machines and their differences !

I always thought that the later production machines can be distinguished from their earlier cousins’ esp. by their 3-part gear door arrangement. For that particular bird “1013” we assume it as a pre-production machine and we know many pictures of it with the older two-door arrangement.

Then there appeared that strange PL-12 equipped J-10A picture with the typical light grey-blue grey older camouflage with the latest doors but its numbers erased !

Here on this picture it seems that our old friend no. 1013 now has the new doors re-fitted !!!

Any comments ???

Deino

You pretty much said it.

If this is a recent picture and 1013 still retains this number, then my theory of that the 101X planes may have been renumbered is therefore incorrect, and the planes with the digits 10-18 in the FTTC are unique ones from the 101X ones. Which makes me wonder what the total number of planes in the FTTC regiment.

See the dish on the KJ2000 AWACS rotating or not… 😉 😎

The black radars don’t appear to rotate like the white one.

There is also the F. There are probably 200 or less of these late models with the majority of them being the D variant. Series production has supposedly ended for all Q-5s.

I have to disagree on this one. The fact you have Q-5E/F/J prototypes indicate that new aircraft are still being built, even at reduced levels. Once you have dissolved a production line, it’s like Humpty Dumpy—it is very hard to get everything back, with all the skilled labor and management gone.

Like the J-7 and J-8II lines, there has to be some low rate of production in order to keep the production line, then ramp up the production if needed.

There is still quite a number of Q-5 regiments out there; 250 operational planes is not a bad number. There may be more in reserve. Although these regiments may be inevitably targeted for JH-7A upgrades.

Personally there is something about the way plane looks that I look, quite raw, spunky and retro looking. Would hate to see it go. I don’t know what the opinions of the pilots are, but I guess they would probably hate to lose their steeds to something, although much more modern, is also a lot bigger and less nimble. By the way, since that F-100 vs J-6 thread last year, no one ever mentioned that the J-6 is a difficult plane to fly (by admission among PLAAF pilots including Han Decai). One can expect the Q-5 to be just as worst. But once it is mastered they reward the pilot well for the effort with a fairly good thrust to weight ratio to boot.

I wonder if the features of the Q-5E/F will simply be incorporated onto the D fleet, therefore meaning that seeing a green Q-5 with LGB’s or a targeting pod wouldn’t be a weird thing….

Does the E/F have any other improvements that the D doesn’t have?

That the details we don’t know.

Does any Q-5 model aside from the now defunct K and M have a truly functional modern-day HUD?

We have never seen a cockpit inside a late Q-5 model but all the new models should have them.

Nice pic on Q-5 80572 (7th Division PLANAF?). It appears the plane has radar and could carry antiship missiles. It must be a prototype but it has operational colors and unit.

Was looking for any pic of Boyd’s Hun and found this thread among others. Seen a number of Hun related threads around here and not one single mention of its most famous pilot, John “Forty Second” Boyd, yes same guy who did the EM theory.

J-7C/D are found in the 15th Division in Beijing MR (3xx6x) and the 29th Division in Nanjing MR (2xx0x). My guess is that there is 20-30 planes in each regiment. The 15th has planes that has the camo and planes in silver white. 50156 is probably a plane from the 15th assigned to the 34th Division for testing. Main difference between J-7C and J-7D (J-7IIIA) is improvements on the J-7D which includes the ability to use PL-8 missile.

J-7C/D cannot compete with the J-8I/II in terms of speed, range, and armament, and it cannot compete against the J-7B/E in terms of agility. The J-7C/D also has higher wing loading than either J-8I/II and J-7B/E. and require high speed takeoffs and landings.