GoldenDragonhttp://www.payvand.com/news/06/apr/1244.html
Iran purchases two Y-8 aircraft from China
TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (Mehr News Agency) – Iran has purchased two Yun-8 (Y-8) aircraft from China to be employed in its regional airport, Payam. The tactical transport aircraft capable of carrying 20 tons of cargos is expected to be delivered to Payam Airport in early May, the Persian service of Iranian Students News Agency ISNA said here on Friday.
The Yun-8 (Y-8) tactical transport aircraft is a Chinese copy of the Soviet/Russia Antonov An-12 under license built by Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Corporation based at Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province.
Payam Airport, located at the Special Economic Zone is affiliated to Iran’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies. It already has two chartered Antonov and five purchased EMB-110 aircrafts at its service.
The regional airport built in 1994, is responsible for collecting and delivering mail services and consignments.
GoldenDragonA more detailed picture of the 04’s carriage and underside.
GoldenDragonAccording to several Chinese press stories (posted in the FC-1 thread), the 04 prototype has full electronic/avionic suites.
The EW fairings (including the very prominent new one on top of the tailfin) and the various antennas might closely match those for the production machine (as opposed to the strictly test devices for 01.)
GoldenDragonSo…do we expect to see FC-1 do all those rolls again..like in the ‘first’ official flight of 01 :diablo:
I think that would be a pretty good assumption.
Also, there would probably be foreign guests as well. The “official” flight of 01 in Sept. 2003 had dignitaries from Iran, Bangladesh and others.
I have never seen a Chinese aircraft so out in the open. An amazing thing to behold after so many years of secrecy.
GoldenDragonMaybe he should have waited for one of the older J-7s 😀
http://business.bostonherald.com/technologyNews/view.bg?articleid=137368
Man buys fighter jet on eBay
By Associated Press
Sunday, April 30, 2006 – Updated: 03:32 PM ESTBEIJING — A Chinese businessman has bought a MiG-21f plane from a U.S. seller on the online auction Web site eBay for $24,730 and plans to use it to decorate an empty space at his offices, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Beijing News newspaper identified the Chinese buyer as Zhang Cheng.
“I like to collect valuable items. I have the buying power and my company has an empty space where I can display the plane,” the newspaper quoted Zhang as saying.
The eBay Web site for the transaction shows the plane is currently located in Lewiston, Idaho.
GoldenDragonMore pictures:
GoldenDragon“All inlets are critical in flight, subsonic or supersonic. “
Don’t change what a person said in order to start a flame war in this thread. Post a DSI thread if you want to discuss that.
GoldenDragonAnother picture.
GoldenDragonAll inlets are critical in flight, subsonic or supersonic. Aircraft jet engines, unlike imaginary UFO powerplants, needs air at all segments of the flight envelope.
Production of the first batch is expected to begin in the summer! This means the weapons and avionics suite is in place as well as the engine. Chinese radar and weapons and the RD-93 as the powerplant. No way for a new engine in such short time.
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=291813&sid=SAS
China to deliver JF-17 thunder aircraft to Pakistan
Islamabad, Apr 30: China will deliver the first small batch of JF-17 (Thunder) aircraft to Pakistan early next year, officials here said.
The serial production of a batch of JF-17s is to commence in China by June-July after a successful test flight of the fourth prototype of the aircraft was conducted in Chengdu yesterday, the officials added.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will start serial production of the aircraft in the country from June 2007 following induction of the first small batch, which may consist of four jets.
GoldenDragonGreat color scheme on the Bangladesh Air Force F-7s. Post more pictures of them when you get them. Thanks!
GoldenDragonMark down May 10!
It seems that the “official” flight for the JF-17 is two weeks from now and not on the 28th yesterday. Very similiar to the “first” flight of 01 in August 2003 (official flight was in September of that year.)
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=4342
Tanvir to attend first flight ceremony of JF-17 in China
By Mayed AliLAHORE: Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmud Ahmed will attend the formal first operational flight ceremony of JF-17 (Thunder), a joint venture of Pakistan and China, at Chengdu on May 10.
The air chief marshal will witness the first aircraft (prototype 4 or P4) taking off from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Airbase in Chengdu. He will be heading a 10-member delegation of the Pakistan Air Force to see the first ever Pakistan-China joint production lifting off. With this take-off, the aircraft will enter into formal production at Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) in Sichuan. The CAC is the second largest aircraft industry in China. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra will start the production of the aircraft in June 2007.
Pakistan is expected to get the first batch of four JF-17s Thunder (Chinese FC-1) in the first quarter of the next year (in March probably). The CAC-PAC joint venture has an accumulated cost tag of $ 500 million, while the aircraft will have a price tag of 15-20 million dollars, depending on the specifications. Pakistan and China have shared the cost on the project equally.
GoldenDragonEven as we discuss this … 🙂
A quick note: batch production in the aviation industry usually means creating an initial set of an aircraft variant or mark previous to a full (or large scale or continuous) production run. Not sure if the reporter is using the term in the same capacity.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/04/28/267754/FC_1_is_ready_for_batch_production.htm
FC-1 is ready for batch production
Li Xinran
2006-04-28
THE fourth prototype of FC-1, China’s self developed fighter, accomplished its first test-fly in Chengdu Today, China News Service reported.Based on the first and third prototypes, the fourth accepted an upgrading design on aerodynamics, structure and system. It has a better performance by introducing the most advanced electronic weapon and air inlet systems in China.
As the fully operable prototype, it’s successful test-fly means China is able to batch produce the fighter, the news service said.
The FC-1 (Fighter China-1) Xiaolong is a single-seat, single-engine, multirole fighter developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation.
The first FC-1 rolled out from the assembly line on 31 May 2003, and its 15-minute maiden flight took place on 24 August 2003.
GoldenDragonAt least some of the 16 limited series aircraft for the PAF and PLAAF would probably be on time for early induction in 2007 if the CCTV report is correct and the 04 prototype has full weapons and avionics integration.
http://english.cctv.com/english/headline/01/20060429/101061.shtml
The main difference from previous designs is its ability to fight. The previous FC-1 and FC-3 didn’t have missiles, while the FC-4 is able to guide its missiles through a complete aviation electronics system. According to its designers, the system doubles the plane’s “vision and hearing”.
It is most likely that the radical changes are not a radical departure from the FC-1 design tolerances. The aircraft planform could have been designed with extended leading edge and DSI in mind. Once 01 and 03 had passed their tests, they must have confirmed that there is enough margin in the envelope to put in the LERX and DSI.
BTW, the DSI affect subsonic as well as supersonic flight. The F-16 DSI test flights resulted in superior subsonic performance.
At any ratem, I highly doubt that such changes were quick addons.
GoldenDragonHmmm, still calling it the FC-4. Full guidance system on the 04 prototype.
http://english.cctv.com/english/headline/01/20060429/101061.shtml
FC-4 makes maiden flight
Source: CCTV.com
04-29-2006 11:23Chinese combat aircraft makers have successfully sent the latest generation of fighter plane into sky. The newest member of the Chinese fighter plane team soared up on Friday morning from a military airport in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Eleven a.m.. The hot off the production line FC-4 fighter plane landed smoothly, after completing its 16-minute maiden flight. All indicators were normal.
Reporters finally got a chance to look into the pilot cabin. The cabin structure is comparable to that of an F-16, which boasts an optimal layout that perfectly serves combat needs.
FC-4, the third generation of FC combat fighters, prides itself as being a wholly made-in-China product. It is a single-seat, single-engine fighter plane with a maximum flying range of 3,500 kilometers.
The main difference from previous designs is its ability to fight. The previous FC-1 and FC-3 didn’t have missiles, while the FC-4 is able to guide its missiles through a complete aviation electronics system. According to its designers, the system doubles the plane’s “vision and hearing”.
China plans to produce more of the new plane this year, some of which will be for export.
GoldenDragonProbably too early to speculate on exports.
Pakistan-150 Agree
Myanmar-40/60 not sure about this one
Bangladesh-12 Agree, maybe even more
Zimbawe-30 Agree
Sudan-80 80 is way too many
Venezuela-100 too many
Albania-40 unlikely
Libya-150 I am not sure about this one
Nigeria-80 way too many
Egypt-120 very likely, amount unknown
Iran-150 likely
North Korea-40(free from PRC) maybe even more
Vietnam-70 impossible
Sri Lanka-30 possible
Indonesia-40/60 don’t think so
Philippines-40 very unlikely
Thailand-50 unlikely
The number for Pakistan could 150 or hundreds more since the FC-1 (or JF-17 as the PAF version is called) is designed to be the lead aircraft in Pakistan’s aircraft industry.
It is possible, more likely probable, that the JF-17 will form the base for hundreds of Pakistani variants.
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Zimbabwe (all current Chengdu customers) would most likely operate the FC-1 numbering around two dozen each. Very few developing countries buy 60 or more fighter aircraft.
Now Egypt and Iran could buy very large numbers. Egypt bought 120 K-8s for example. But in such large deals, the buyer want offsets. In the Egyptian case, the K-8E was developed for Egypt and is built in Egypt. The K-8 is used to create a foundation for the Egyptian aircraft industry.
Both Iran and Egypt, if they buy the FC-1, would be asking for technology transfer and the chances are China/Pakistan will probably give it to them to extend the FC-1’s global reach. In that case, the FC-1 could be made in the hundreds by those countries.
Indonesia is a future market, especially if its relations with the US and the West goes into a tailspin.
Venezuela is a future market also. But any “offensive” sales (as opposed to selling something like the Y-12) to South America is dangerous because that could end up with sanctions by the United States.
Philipines and Vietnam are not sales prospects at all.
Albania is an interesting case. It has a history of using Chinese equipment and if all things are equal, it would be a prospect. But politically, it can’t happen. Selling in Europe presents the same diplomatic risks for China as selling in South America. Also at this moment, the Albanian air force is not looking at operating any jets, much less 40 FC-1s, though that can change in the future.
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