GoldenDragonThe 10 JF-17s sent to the PAF have flown 1000 sorties.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20081221story_21-12-2008_pg7_18
CJCSC inspects co-production of JF-17 aircraft
* General Majid calls joint development of fighter jet significant milestone in Pak-China strategic partnership
CHENGDU: Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman (CJCSC) General Tariq Majid visited Chengdu on Saturday to evaluate the progress on Pakistan and China’s co-production of JF-17 Thunder aircraft for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
CAC Vice-president Wang Guang Ya, China Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) Vice-president Ma Zhi Ping, PAF chief representative Air Commodore Junaid K Rehan and Pakistan’s Consul General in Chengdu Masood Khan welcomed the CJCSC and briefed him on the pace of work.
Milestone: General Majid said that the co-production of JF-17 Thunder aircraft was a significant milestone in the Pak-China strategic co-operative partnership, which on completion would become PAF’s main strength and will replace its ageing fleet of Mirage, F-6 and F-7 fighter aircraft. Commander of Xingiang Area Command hosted a banquet in the honour of the CJCSC and his delegation at Urmiqi.
The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) contracted the project in April 1999 for the joint development and co-production of the state-of-the-art combat aircraft. Chinese and Pakistani engineers started work on the project in 2002 and the first prototype made its maiden flight in 2003.
The first batch of two aircraft participated in the fly past in the March 23 Joint Services Parade in 2007 and a batch of eight aircraft is now being flown for extensive user trials in Pakistan since March 2008. These aircraft have already made more than 1,000 sorties.
GoldenDragonIsrael gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites but was told by President George W Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency, senior European diplomatic sources have told the Guardian.
That’s pretty major news. If that’s really the case, an air strike is pretty much off the table until the next president. An American or Israeli bombing run on Iran was being predicted by a good number of defense experts just a few weeks ago.
GoldenDragonI don’t see how reporting that a spacewalk by only the third nation to do so is “flagwaving.”
For one thing, it’s a far less common aerospace occurrence than say sales or test flights of aircraft.
If that’s flagwaving then wouldn’t every news post on the Gripen, F-22, etc. be flagwaving unless we purposely exclude the country that the Gripen, F-22, etc. comes from?
GoldenDragonhttp://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/09/25/afx5469679.html
Thomson Financial News
Venezuela expects first Chinese planes in 2009-Chavez
09.25.08, 8:21 AM ETBEIJING, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Venezuela expects a first shipment of Chinese military training planes to arrive next year, but the purchase is only a tiny part of a relationship based on finance and energy, President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday.
The staunch leftist said he was pushed into the deal for 24 K-8 craft because Venezuela’s ideological foe, the United States, had refused to sell him spare parts for old American planes and so pilots risked their lives when training
. . .
GoldenDragon:rolleyes:
Right, after the Wright brothers got a heavier than air craft off the ground, every nation in the world stopped because it’s already been done.
It’s either “replicate” what the US/USSR did 50 years ago or stay earthbound like the other 200 nations in the world. The choices are rather clear — be one of three haves or one of two hundred have-nots.
GoldenDragonI’m not even sure if US can supply Georgia safely without massive escalation (i.e. US boots on the ground to insure that any surplus F-16s sent to Georgia won’t be an excuse for another blitzkrieg.)
GoldenDragonI can’t see anyone willing to supply Georgia with arms. Most non-Western countries like China see no point in antagonizing the Russians.
Even the European powers would have trouble arming Georgia. Any kind inflow of foreign weapons might just trigger another Russian invasion and I can’t see NATO actually putting in troops in a head to head confrontation.
Remember both France and Germany voted against Georgia being in NATO because of exactly the current kind of situation.
Unless the US is willing to openly confront the Russians on the ground, Georgia is going to be Finlandized.
GoldenDragonNot particularly new but an article to go along with photos previously posted in this thread.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/24/content_8431279.htm
China develops new supersonic trainer aircraft
http://www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-24 19:49:04NANCHANG, June 24 (Xinhua) — China has developed a new-generation supersonic trainer aircraft with state-of-the-art turbines and a full authority digital engine control.
The L15-03 trainer plane, developed by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group based in Nanchang of Jiangxi Province, had a successful maiden flight last month, according to a press release from the conglomerate.
Zhang Hong, chief engineer for the L15-03 program, said in comparison with its prototype, the new plane shows improved engine function and reliability.
Other improvements, such as the adoption of an aeroastrodynamics layout from a third-generation fighter plane, enable the new plane to bring precision and immediate responsiveness to the control of the engine’s operation for a change of the plane nose’s orientation, said Zhang.
The L15-03 can be used for advanced training and strategic pilot drills, said Zhang, adding that it would take two to three years to get the new trainer plane into mass production.
Hongdu is a division of the China Aviation Industry Corp. and was the maker of the first plane in New China.
GoldenDragonYour list should be modified
[B]1. J-10
2. F-CK-1
3. F-2
4. J-8II
5. JH-7A (fighter bomber/strike fighter)and the reason is the F-1 should be included there
1. J-10
2. F-2
3. LCA (a few flying)
4. IDF Ching Kuo
5. J-8II
6. F-1 (retired but was succesful)
7. JH-7A (fighter bomber/strike fighter)
You’re going to switch a current deployed fighters list so you could place the LCA which has no inducted air force units over the F-CK-1 which numbers over 120 and has served in the ROCAF since the 1990s across one of the world’s most heavily armed flashpoints :rolleyes:
GoldenDragonoh man, L-15 project is going absolutely no where. The slowness of Hongdu in developing this thing has really pissed off the PLA brass. If anything, it looks like JF-17 is going to take a lot of orders that would’ve gone to L-15. HAIG really is an embarrassment to AVIC.
Hongdu is an embarrassment? Hongdu had always received a pittance of the resources that Shenyang, Chengdu and even Guizhou had gotten and yet it created one of the most successful export aircraft that came of China.
I see no extraordinary delay in the L-15, especially since the second prototype flew just last month.
Whether or not it would be out-competed by the FC-1/JF-17 is another matter.
GoldenDragonIf you consider pure projects only and not a derivative of an older American or Russian machine like the F-15J or MKI then the most successful Asian fighters currently in service are
1. J-10
2. F-CK-1
3. F-2
4. J-8II
5. JH-7A (fighter bomber/strike fighter)
There really isn’t any others. Certainly nothing with the numbers in service like the five above.
I’d put the F-2 behind the F-CK-1 because the F-2 is heavily based on the F-16 (though it was because of pressure from American Congress over trade balance.) Also, when the F-CK-1 came out in the 1990s, it was the one true 4th generation aircraft developed in Asia with a homegrown MRAAM. Amazing to speculate where Taiwan’s aviation industry would be if it had continued.
New projects:
1. FC-1/JF-17: this one would have the most impact in Asia — and beyond — because of the number of potential aircraft and users
2. T/A 50: impact similar to the FC-1 because it would be the only new trainer/light attack craft for users of American aircraft
3. L-15: even if Hongdu just inherits the current customer base built by the K-8, it would be a major success. But as a supersonic trainer/attack craft, it could expand the market of its predecessor
4. Tejas: if and when it actually makes it to service, it should have a fairly large home market and so should have an impact even though it would probably never be exported as much as the first three.
5. F-CK-1C/D: upgrade of the F-1-CK
As far as fifth generation projects, there is really none that is more than paper or speculation. The most viable are probably the multiple projects from CAC and SAC.
Considering that the J-10 was thought to be nothing more than rumor (and photoshops) just year and a half ago, it would be far less surprising to see one of the J-XX projects suddenly popping into reality. (It’s a trend we saw with not just the J-10 but the Z-10, the J-11B and a host of naval projects like the Yuan SSK and Type 054A.)
GoldenDragonA new variant of the old Y-7.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-06/04/content_6734442.htm
China Southern enters cargo JV
By Xin Dingding and Lu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-04 09:46. . .
China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC I), the country’s leading aircraft manufacturer, said it plans to launch a new 70-seat turboprop aircraft.
“We have finished the initial study on the 70-seat MA700 and are now waiting for government approval to start the project,” said Hu Wenming, senior vice-president of AVIC I.
AVIC I produces the 50-seat MA60 turboprop and has received 128 orders. It will present its MA600, an upgraded model of MA60, during the Zhuhai Air Show later this year.
GoldenDragonThanks for posting, Hyperwarp. Still amazing that just a year and half ago they were still denying the existence of the aircraft and now an old prototype machine is being put up on the front lawn of an AVIC office.
GoldenDragonWhy bring Mexico into the thread?
Mexico should have every advantage over China. It is right next door to the US market. There are many times more Mexicans in the US than Chinese and who actually have a political presence.
There is NAFTA which gives Mexico advantages above and beyond the WTO.
Mexico and ALL other third world nations (including Brazil and India) have a huge advantage over China in the WTO itself because China was forced by the US and the EU to enter the WTO with terms that are applied to advanced nations.
China’s economy is forced by the WTO to be more open than Japan’s which means that China cannot protect its own car companies the way the Japanese did and the way India and Brazil could do today.
The reason China could survive and prosper in spite of these terms in because of infrastructure, scale of economy and a massive domestic market that no other developing nation could match.
So Mexico should have never lost its position in the US market vis a vis China. It had every advantage in the world.
GoldenDragonNot “The fact is”, more like “The impression is”. Wrapping up home loans and tying them into securities once sounded like a good idea, too.
Then you have nothing to worry about. Let the other guy be in China. You’re smart so you stay away. That’s all you need to do.
Unlike the other “BRIC” nations, China actually do command a massive home market that translates into real sales. GM makes more money in China than the US. KFC makes more money in China than the US. Caterpillar makes more sales in China than any other country except the US. Boeing and Airbus makes more sales in China than any other nation except the US.
But of course, those companies are stupid to be in the Chinese market and making those sales, the smart ones are staying home :rolleyes:
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