J-8 / J-8B | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Interceptor |
National origin | China |
Manufacturer | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation |
Designer | Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute |
Status | In service |
Primary users | People's Liberation Army Air Force |
Number built | At least 408[1] |
History | |
Introduction date | 1980 |
First flight | J-8: 5 July 1969 J-8B: 12 June 1984 |
The Shenyang J-8 (Chinese: 歼-8; NATO reporting name: Finback) is a family of interceptor aircraft developed by the 601 Institute (Shenyang) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was conceived in the early 1960s as a low-risk program based on enlarging the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F, a version of which the PRC was producing as the Chengdu J-7. The original J-8 experienced protracted development due to disruption from the Cultural Revolution; the prototypes first flew in 1969[2] but the design was not finalized until 1979 with the aircraft entering service in 1980.[3]
The J-8II/J-8B (NATO reporting name: Finback-B) was a major development of the J-8 and was essentially a new aircraft. The J-8II replaced the distinctive nose air intake[2] with a conventional radome and side air intakes to create room for a modern fire-control radar,[4] and used more powerful engines.[2][4] The aircraft started development in 1982,[4] and was cleared for production and service in 1988.[5] The J-8II was the basis for all later major additions to the J-8 family.[6]