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Chengdu J-7 | bgcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3" align="center" style="border-bottom:3px solid"|Chengdu J-7 | olspan="3" align="center"|250px
F-7's of the Pakistani Air Force | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Description | | ole | colspan="2"|Light-weight interceptor | | rew | colspan="2"|1 | | irst Flight | colspan="2"|1966 | | ntered Service | colspan="2"|1967 | | anufacturer | colspan="2"|Chengdu | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Dimensions | | ength | 14.885 m | 48 ft 10 in | | ingspan | 8.32 m | 27 ft 4 in | | eight | 4.10 m | 13 ft 5 1/2 in | | ing area | m² | ft² | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Weights | | mpty | 5292 kg | 11,662 lb | | oaded | 7540 kg | 16,623 lb | | aximum takeoff | 9,100 kg | 20,020 lb | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Powerplant | | ngines | colspan="2"|One Liyang Wopen-13F(R-13-300) turbojet | | hrust | 66.7 kN | 15,000 lb | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Performance | | aximum speed | 2175 km/h | 1350 mph | | ombat range | 875 km | 550 miles | | erry range | 2,200 km | 1,380 miles | | ervice ceiling | 18,800 m | 61,685 ft | | ate of climb | 11,700 m/min | 38,400 ft/min | | ing loading | kg/m² | lb/ft² | | hrust/Weight | colspan="2"| | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Avionics | | vionics | colspan="2"| | | gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Armament | | uns | colspan="2"|Two Type 30 30 mm cannon | | rdance | colspan="2"|2000 kg | The Chengdu J-7 (export versions are designated F-7) is a People's Republic of China-built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. It is still produced today, and serves in the Air Forces of numerous nations. It is an updated version of the original MiG-21 with more modern avionics and weaponry. It serves mostly as an interceptor in the air forces that operate it. In the early 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union shared most of its conventional weapons technology with the People's Republic of China. One of these was the famous Mikoyan MiG-21 short-range interceptor and fighter aircraft. Powered by a single jet and designed on a simple airframe, these fighters were inexpensive, but fast and manueverable, suiting the strategy of forming large quantities of 'people's fighters' to overcome technological advantages of Western aircraft. With the delivery of a handful of Mikoyan MiG-21 fighters (F variant) along with technical documents, China set about reverse engineering the aircraft for local production. This was achieved with only minor real differences from the original. Poor initial quality and slow progress resulted in full scale production only coming about in the 1980s, by which time the design was showing its age. However, the fighter is affordable, and widely exported as the F-7, often with Western systems incorporated. In the mid 90s, the PLAAF began replacing its J-7Bs with the substantially redesigned J-7E variant. The wings of the J-7E have been changed to a unique "double delta" design offering improved aerodynamics and increased fuel storage capability, and the J-7E also features a more powerful engine and improved avionics. The newest version of the J-7, the J-7G, entered service with the PLAAF in 2003. The role of the J-7 in the People's Liberation Army is to provide local air defense and tactical air superiority. Large numbers are to be employed to deter enemy air operations. In most other air forces using the aircraft, they serve as general purpose fighters, often in little more than a ceremonial role, assuaging their national ego. In a conflict involving modern US or Western forces, it is unlikely that the J-7, even in quantity, will be capable of posing any more than a rudimentary threat.
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