T
HE PRODUCTS OFFERED by
Guizhou and Hongdu range
from primary trainers up to
the latest fourth-generation
trainers. First in line is the
veteran CJ-6 primary trainer, a
design based on the original Nanchang
CJ-5, itself a license-built Yak-18.
Development began as long ago as late
1957, and as of 2018 the type is still in
production for an unspeci ed customer.
The next ‘standard’ trainer for the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the
JL-8, also known as the K-8 Karakorum.
This lightweight primary jet trainer
was launched in 1986 as a joint project
between the Hongdu Aviation Industrial
Group and the Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex (PAC). The type is now China’s
most widely exported jet trainer and has
found particular popularity among Third
World customers. The latest FTC-2000G
is aimed squarely at this market
segment as well. It performed its maiden
ight on September 28 this year.CHINA
JOINS
THE
‘LIFT’
LEAGUE
For many years, two Chinese
companies — Guizhou and
Hongdu — have been the major
suppliers of trainers to the
China’s air force and naval
aviation. Now both are offering
very different solutions on the
international trainer market.REPORT Andreas Rupprecht
JL-9 and FTC-2000
The FTC-2000G is not a ‘new’ aircraft as
such, but the latest in a long-established
family that started life as the Guizhou
JL-9 Mountain Eagle. In fact, it’s probably
the nal member of the venerable
MiG-21/J-7 line.
Development of the JL-9 began in
2001 as an advanced lead-in ghter
trainer (LIFT) based on the earlier JJ-7/
FT-7 design. Consequently, it was
originally known as the JJ-7B and
later the JJ-9.
In contrast to its predecessors, the
JL-9 features a new forward fuselage,
replacing the circular intake with a
solid nose accommodating an X-band
pulse-Doppler re-control radar with a
range of 19 miles (30km), and engine
intakes relocated to the fuselage sides.
The stepped tandem cockpit section
is redesigned, with a single-piece
windshield providing improved forward
and downward vision in comparison
to the original JJ-7. In fact, it looks
very much like a training variant of the
abortive Super 7, a joint Sino-US project
led by the Aviation Industry Corporation
of China (AVIC) and Grumman, which
was planned as a modernization of
the aging J-7 in the late 1980s. This
project was cancelled after the events at
Tiananmen Square in 1989. The aircraft
features a double-delta wing without
leading-edge aps, while the modern
avionics and cockpit include a head-
up display (HUD) plus a multi-function
display (MFD).
However, in order to reduce costs and
development time, the JL-9 retains theBelow:
The L-15C
demonstrator
maneuvers
during an
airshow
demonstration.
The ‘Charlie’
model is so
far the most
advanced
L-15 and
incorporates
the avionics
of the L-15B
avionics with
the airframe
of the L-15A.
All photos via
Chinese internet
unless statedBelow right:
A line-up of
JL-9H trainers
in service with
PLA Naval
Aviation’s
2nd Training
Regiment at
Qinhuangdao/
Shanhaiguan.24 December 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
A IR WA RFA RE BRIEFING S
FRO M THE A SIA -PA C IFICBY ANDREAS RUPPRECHT