Aviation
Development of China's J-8 Fighter
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Development of China's J-8 Fighter
by Jon "Raytracer" Lee
Deployment
About 240-360 J-8s are in service, about three quarters of which are J-8IIs and their derivatives. Known to be with the following:
Guang Zhou MR
9th Air Division, 7th Air Army (J-8II) at Foshan, Guangdong.
18th Air Division (J-8II), at Datuopu, Hunan.
9th Naval Aviation Division (J-8IV), South Sea Fleet, at Lingshui, Hainan.
Beijing MR
24th Air Division, 10th Air Army (J-8I) at Yangchun and Zunhua
Jinan MR
5th Naval Aviation Division, North Sea Fleet, at Qingdoa, Shandong.
Shenyang MR
1st Air Division, 1st Air Army (J-8I/II), at Anshan, Lioaning.
21st Air Division (J-8II), at Mudanjiang.
30th Air Division (J-8), at Dandong, Liaoning.
Nanjing MR
26th Air Division, 8th Air Army (J-8II), at Chongming, Shanghai
Armament
One 23mm Type 23-3 twin barrel cannon, with 200 rounds in an underfuselage pack. The seven external hard-points (one underfuselage, and three under each wing) can carry a variety of stores up to 4,500kg. Weapons carried for early models include Qingan HF-16B 12- round rocket launchers(for Type 57-2 A-A rockets), PL-7 SARH MRMs, and PL-2B IR SRMs. J-8IIB/J-8 Block 2s can carry PL-11 SARH MRMs, as well as PL-5 and PL-8 IR SRMs. J-8IIHs can carry R-27/AA-10As, and may be able to carry R-77/AA-12s and Kh-31s Kryptons. Late model builds, and future versions, eg. J-8III/J-8Cs should be able to carry SD-10/PL-12s as they become available. A-G weaponry include various unguided bombs, as well as 12 x 57mm and 7 x 90mm rocket launchers.
Specifications (J-8II/J-8B Block 1)
Accommodation: |
Pilot only |
Dimensions: |
Wingspan 9.344 m. Length 21.59 m. Height 5.41 m. Wing area 42.2m2 (454.3sq ft) |
Wing loading: |
70lbs/sq ft. Normal take-off. |
Weights: |
Empty 9,240kg (20,370.37lbs). Normal take-off 14,300kg (31,525.57lbs). Max take-off 17,800kg (39,241.62lbs) |
Powerplants: |
Two 42.7kN (9590lb) dry, and 65.9kN (14,815lb) with AB Liyang (Guizhou) WP13AII turbojets. |
Fuel capacity: |
approximately 5,400 litres (1,426 US gallons). |
Comms and EW: |
VHF/UHF and HF/SSB radios, “Odd Rods” IFF, Kg300G jammer pod, Fin-tip KJ8602A RWR, GT-1E Chaff/flare launchers. |
Maximum Speed: |
2,339Km/h (1,262kt) at 36,000ft |
Range: |
Ferry range 2,200 km (1,187 nm; 1,367 miles) with drop tanks. Combat radius 800 km (500miles) 1200Km (746 miles) for J-8IV/J-8D with one refuelling. |
Service Ceiling: |
20200m (66,275ft) |
Maximum Initial Climb Rate: |
39,400ft/min |
G Limits: |
+6.9G at 1,000 m, +4.7G Mach 0.9/5,000 m |
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