The FTC-2000, as the JL-9, competed with the Hongdu JL-10 to meet the advanced trainer requirements of the PLAAF and PLANAF. The JL-10 is more technologically advanced, but also more expensive, than the JL-9. In 2013, both had entered production.[4]
A carrier-landing trainer variant was revealed by Chinese state media in 2011.[4] Designated the JL-9G, it has strengthened undercarriage, enlarged wing and diverterless supersonic inlets, but has proved to be unsuitable for arrested landings and is limited to land-based operations.[5]
On 5 September 2018, Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that GAIC had begun mass production of the FTC-2000G variant.[6] On 28 September, it was reported that the first mass-produced FTC-2000G performed its maiden flight.[7][8] In April 2020, China reported that an unnamed South-East Asian country had placed an order for the FTC-2000G, with deliveries expected between 2021 and 2023.[9] Later it was confirmed that Myanmar had ordered those jets.[10]
Design
A FTC-2000 at Zhuhai airshow 2016
The FTC-2000 is developed from the JJ-7/FT-7, the two seat trainer version of the Chengdu J-7; the Chengdu J-7 is a Chinese variant of the MiG-21. The FTC-2000 uses a new wing, a forward fuselage with side air intakes, and a glass cockpit; the engine, empennage, and mechanical controls of the JJ-7/FT-7 are retained.[2]
Operational history
A PLAAF JL-9 releasing flare
In 2014, the PLANAF had a regiment of JL-9s.[11] However, it was not until October 18, 2015, that the PLAAF started using the JL-9 for training purposes.[12]
In April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan launched an attack on Merowe Air Base, destroying one Sudanese FTC-2000 while capturing the base.[13] Satellite imagery has revealed that three more FTC-2000s were present at the base at the time.[13]
FTC-2000G: The FTC-2000G is a dual seat light combat aircraft/lead-in fighter trainer.[15] It is one of the cheapest light fighters on the market with the aim to replace old legacy fighters like the J-7/F-7 and Mig-21. It has 7 hardpoints.[16][better source needed] It also features a diverterless supersonic inlet.[17] It made its first flight in September 2018.[18] Compared to the FTC-2000 trainer variant, the FTC-2000G is heavier,[16] has a maximum speed of only Mach 1.2[15] due to a new wing design,[17][19] and has less endurance[16] than the FTC-2000. The aircraft can carry a maximum of 3 tons of weaponry.[15]
Media related to Guizhou JL-9 at Wikimedia Commons
^ abJackson, Paul, ed. (2010). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010-11 (101st ed.). London: Jane's Information Group. pp. 116–117. ISBN978-0-7106-2916-6.
^Grevatt, Jon (June 6, 2017). "China promotes FTC-2000 trainer for export". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017. Commenting on the development, the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) – the agency responsible for Chinese defence industrial development – said the aircraft represented the first export aircraft produced at GAIC's assembly line in city of Anshun in Guizhou province.
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