JF-17 Thunder (Four) JF-17 Thunder, multirole, combat, jet, fighter, China, Pakistan, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex,, aircraft, airplane, military, defense, attack, widescreen, wallpaper, photo, picture, image.
Originally known as Super-7, the FC-1 Xiaolong was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation under a joint venture of China and Pakistan. The FC-1 is a lightweight multi-role fighter powered by a single Klimov RD-93 (derivative of the RD-33) turbofan. It is capable of beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air combat, as well as laser-guided weapons delivery. Because the FC-1 has been developed primarily for the PAF and export market, it provides a low-cost replacement for many developing countries that are currently operating the ageing MiG-21/F-7 Fishbed and Northrop F-5 series. The unit price is estimated to be US$15 million. JF-17 Thunder Wallpaper 4. The origins of the 'Super-7' can be traced back to 1986 when Pakistan and China wanted to modernise the J-7 with western avionics and engine. The project was named 'Saber II' by the PAF and would replace its F-6s. In January 1987, Grumman Aerospace was seleted as primary contractor and several other western firms competed to provide the engine and avionics. By 1989 the projected costs had significantly increased (some sources say 40%) and was deemed a highly financial risk by the Pakistan Air Force. On top of that, Chinese relations with the west broke down. Subsequently the contract was cancelled. Chengdu continued the development under the new designation FC-1 (Fighter China-1) aimed at creating an affordable fighter for the export market. In 1995 Pakistan regained interest in a joint development with China. The 1993 US sanctions prevented the PAF from acquiring Western technology or weapons. In June 1999, China and Pakistan signed the joint development and production agreement to co-develop the FC-1. Chengdu was selected as primary contractor and the Russian Mikoyan Aero-Science Production Group (MASPG) was contracted to provide the Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine and design assistance too. JF-17 Thunder Wallpaper 4. The FC-1 design of today has little in common with the J-7 and is believed to be based on Mikoyan's concept for a single-engine fighter based on the MiG-29. The FC-1 also shows features from the F-16 design, although the layout is somewhat more conventional. In Pakistan the new fighter received the designation JF-17 (Joint Fighter-17) and is planned to replace the F-7, Mirage III/5 and Q-5. The Pakistan Air Force will probably be the biggest customer and thus is strongly involved in the development of the aircraft. However Chinese avionics were not meeting the PAF requirements and introducing Western avionics still proved to be a problem with the sanctions in place. It was not until the platform development and avionics system were de-coupled in early 2001, that the program started making progress. Also progressing was Chinese technology. PAF agreed to the use of Chinese avionics, although it still have to made its mind up regarding the fire-control radar. The most likely contender being the Italian-built Grifo S7 radar, PAF F-7P, F-7PG and Mirages are also equipped with Grifo radars. The first FC-1 was rolled out on 31 May 2003. It made its first flight on 24 August 2003, although some say 2 or 3 September 2003. It was quickly followed by a second airframe (PT-2) for static tests and two more flying prototypes. The third prototype PT-3 has joined PT-1 in the flight testing program on 9 April 2004 and PT-4 is scheduled to fly later in 2005. PT-4 will be testing integration of the Chinese radar and PL-12/SD-10 BVR missile. JF-17 Thunder Wallpaper 4 |
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