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The Pilots Desk
Fightersfighter aircraft model by Shenyang

J-8

J-8

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 but the design was not finalized until 1979 with the aircraft entering service in 1980. 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 with a conventional radome and side air intakes to create room for a modern fire-control radar, and used more powerful engines. The aircraft started development in 1982, and was cleared for production and service in 1988. The J-8II was the basis for all later major additions to the J-8 family.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Category
Fighters
Country of origin
People's Republic of China
First flight
1969-07-05
Length
21.59 m
Wingspan
9.34 m

Specifications

Max speed
180 kt
Range
540 nm
Service ceiling
59,000 ft
Rate of climb
44,100 ft/min
Max takeoff weight
41,621 lb
Empty weight
22,864 lb
Powerplant
2 × Guizhou WP-13B afterburning turbojet engines
Engines
2
Seats
1
Length
70.2 ft
Wingspan
30.8 ft
Height
17.8 ft
Number built
408

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.