Monday, September 08, 2008

FBC-1

Maiden Flight: December 1988
IOC: 1992

Also Known As: FB-7A, Flying Leopard, JH-7 (PLAAF designation), JH-7A (improved version)

Origin:China

Contractor/s: Xian Aircraft Company (XAC)

Description: The FBC-1, dubbed Flying Leopard, is a twin-engine, tandem twin-seat, long-range, supersonic fighter-bomber aircraft intended to perform air-to-ground and air-to-sea attack as well as air defense missions. The aircraft was designed by Xian Aircraft Design Research Institute in the1980s and is being manufactured by Xian Aircraft Company (XAC). The maiden flight was performed in December 1988 and the first production aircraft entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1992.

The FBC-1's fire control radar and avionics enable the delivery of Chinese-made anti-ship and air-to-soil missiles, laser guided bombs, cluster munitions, air-to-air missiles and dumb bombs. The aircraft can fly at Mach 1.7 powered by two FWS-9 turbofan engines (a copy of Rolls Royce Spey MK202). The FBC-1 has been deployed with the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) under the JH-7 designation. The JH-7A/FB-7A is an improved version introduced in 2004. The FBC-1 is currently being offered for the export market through CATIC.

The FBC-1 was designed as a Chinese counterpart to Western F-111 and Tornado aircraft and the Soviet/Russian Sukhoi Su-24 bomber. Nevertheless, the aircraft's poor performance suggests that the PLA may drop the development and production of the JH-7/FBC-1 in favor of the Sukhoi Su-34.

Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 2

Guns: Main Gun Caliber 23 mm

Dimensions: Height 6.6 m, Length 22.3 m, Wingspan 12.7 m

Weights: Max Weight 28,475 kg (62,776 lb), Payload 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)

Performance: Ceiling 15,600 m (51,181 ft), Max Range 3,650 km (1,971 nm), Radius of Operation 1,650 km (891 nm), Top Speed Mach 1.70 (2,032 kph)

G Loads: Max Maneuvering Load Factor 7 g

Other: Number of Engines 2

Related Equipment
Air-to-Air Missiles: PL-8, R-73

Guided Missiles: YJ-63, YJ-83K, YJ-91

Bombs: KAB-500L

Power plant: FWS-9 (2)

Operators

China

Internet Resources
CATIC

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Sunday, August 24, 2008

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