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A J-10B carrying PL-8 and PL-12 air-to-air missiles | |
Role | Multirole combat aircraft |
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National origin | China |
Manufacturer | Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group |
Design group | Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute |
First flight | 23 March 1998 |
Introduction | 2005 |
Status | In service |
Primary users | People's Liberation Army Air Force People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force Pakistan Air Force |
Produced | 2002 – present |
Number built | 602+ as of 2022 |
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In 1981, PLAAF Commander Zhang Tingfa submitted a proposal to Deng Xiaoping for the development of a third-generation fighter for CN¥ 500 million; it was accepted later that year by the Central Military Commission (CMC). It was the first Chinese aircraft program to incorporate modern development and acquisition processes. In one departure from the past, the supplier was now responsible directly to the customer; this allowed the PLAAF to communicate its requirements and ensure they were met; previously suppliers were responsible to their managing agency, which could produce products that failed to meet end user requirements. Another difference was the selection of a design through competition, rather than allocating a project to an institute and using whatever design that institute created
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In the 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union shared a large proportion of its conventional weapons technology with its neighbor, the People's Republic of China. One such example is the MiG-19, which was locally produced by China as the Shenyang J-6 from as early as 1958.
In 2013, production of the J-7 was terminated after the delivery of 16 F-7BGI to the Bangladesh Air Force.
To date, large numbers of J-7s remain in service with multiple export customers, with PLAAF retiring the fleet in 2023.