I agree with GoldenDragon, I will believe rumors of J/F-7MF prototypes being built when I actually see the finished article in flight. If anything Chengdu/PLAAF missed the bus on this, they should have gone with the J-7FS instead of the J-7G. Still, come to think of it, even the J-7FS came 10 years to late. One could say the J-7FS is what the F-7M should have been.
I feel it is more or less a certainty that Chengdu will be pushing the FC-1 instead of the F-7 as its future low end export fighter and (eventually) also an export variant of the J-10 (F-10 for export?) which will represent the high end of the product line. Especially if fitted with western electronics both of these aircraft could be really formidable. The target market will of course be countries wanting an answer to second hand F-16’s without all the stifling political baggage that comes along with buying from the USA. The J/F-7 will probably continue in production and in service but increasingly, over the next 10 years or so, as a single seat agressor (J-7G etc.) or advanced two seat trainer (think FTC-2000 aka. JL-9). Them’s my 2 (Euro) cents anyway.
I’ll be looking forward to news from Zhuhai, I just wish I could attend that show. 😀
😉
Actually, the “MF” is not a bad choice if and when compared to the older
J-7’s. It is probably technically way more advance than the J-7s in many ways because it
was initially designed/intended as a replacement for the FC-1. Remember???
I’d put the “MF”, potentially, a highly capable competitor to the likes of the Tigersharks, the F-CK’s,
maybe even intended to fill the needs posted by threats coming from early generation Mirage-2000’s and first
generation F-16s. If otherwise, why would they worked on the “MF” idea if their J-7s would do?
The J-7SF, by my understanding, was no more but a test bed for the “MF”. Or that was the word
throughout Asian medias and publications covering the “SF story” . There has never been any claims made attesting
to the notion “J-7SF” are J-7 or even FC-1 replacement or, ever become an actual production model.
I’d settle for the “MF” as a J-7 replacements anytime. The FC-1’s and the J-10’s, IMHO,
should be something distinctly in a class all its own “and something the Chinese are intending as a
challenge to themselves to test their expertist” in more advance ideas and systems.
:rolleyes:
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