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The widely-exported Chengdu J-7 was nothing more than a Chinese license-production
copy of the Soviet-era Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed.
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After World War 2 (1939-1945), China and the Soviet Union were cooperating political
powers. This naturally led to China being the recipient of modern technology
developed by Soviet engineers. Ultimately, adoption of Soviet aircraft, tanks and small
arms occurred and this allowed the Chinese to field Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot"
jet-powered fighters in the Korean War. In 1955, the Soviet government granted China
license production of the MiG-17 jet fighter and these were produced locally in the
hundreds. The intimate experience in producing advanced jet aircraft ultimately
allowed a burgeoning Chinese aero industry to develop centering on ordnance,
airframes and powerplants. Reverse engineering of military weapons would prove a
certain Chinese-held talent over the decades - a trait that continues even today.
Wholly-indigenous two-seat trainers were eventually designed, developed and
produced, all in-house. License production of the MiG-19 then followed into the 1960s
though this period was soon hampered by the Sino-Soviet Split of 1960-1989 which
saw a deterioration of the political and military partnership.
Despite the differences, relations seemingly thawed some during that span, enough to
open the door for the Soviet Union to introduce the Chinese to their new MiG-21
"Fishbed" interceptor. License production was granted in 1962 and the local concern
of Shenyang was charged with copying the MiG-21F-13 "Fishbed-C" and its
RD-11F-300 series engine. The Soviets assisted through personnel, aeronautical
agencies and kits, the latter intended for local Chinese assembly. Under the Chinese
initiative, the MiG-21F was bestowed the designation of "J-7" and its foreign export
counterpart would become the "F-7". The corresponding engine copy was the
localized "WP-7" offering. Initial engine trials occurred in October of 1965 and the
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prototype was finalized in November of that year. First flight of a Chinese F-7 was on
January 17th, 1966. The type proved a serviceable copy and serial production was
ordered though slow, beginning in June of 1967. Production, hampered by the arrival
of the "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1976), was then allocated to Chengdu facilities. The
Revolution undoubtedly hurt the J-7 in the early going as disruptions delayed full
operational status of the system until the early 1980s. From there, many kinks were
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apparent as the Chinese product proved subpar when compared to its Soviet version.
Issues were not resolved until 1985.
At its core, the F-7 can be considered a fair copy of the excellent and widely popular
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1960s-era MiG-21. The fuselage is of a largely tubular design with low-set delta-
shaped main wings and well-swept tail planes. The aircraft relies on a single vertical
tail fin. The cockpit is set well-forward in the design with a lightly framed canopy. There
is no traditional nosecone as the nose is left open to aspirate the single engine fitting.
The undercarriage is wholly retractable and consists of two single-wheeled main legs
and a single-wheeled nose leg.
Chinese production allowed Chengdu to sell their aircraft version to budget conscious
shoppers worldwide and many parties took the Chinese up on their offers. The type
proved exceedingly popular with elements in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia
where a capable interceptor with added strike capabilities could finally be had at cost.
Further developments in the J-7 lines added to the type's effectiveness though it was
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Guizhou managed production of twin-seat trainer variants in the JJ-7 and FT-7 and
similar.
Other J-7/F-8 models exist (see variants listing below for a complete list). Many offer
only subtle changes to design (HUD support, in-cockpit MFD, HOTAS, etc...) and
functionality while others were heavy revisions or complete rewrites that never came
to pass. At any rate, the F-7 has more or less seen its best days behind it and, for all
intents and purposes, is an outclassed fighter mount by modern standards. However,
it has proven relatively inexpensive to procure in number and allowed many-a-nation
to provide its air services with a capable reach, particularly when a 1960's era fighter
was enough to subdue a weaker neighbor.
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