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Exported J-7
- Thread starter pngwerume
- Start date
Violet Oboe
Junior Member
Hi guys, it appears that you could tell me something about this:
Several publications like Jane's and AFM maintain that AFZ had a number of J-7 losses during Zimbabwes intervention in Congo's civil war (presumably on the side of Kabila jun.).
Do you know something more specific like how they were lost (shot down, accident/attrition) and what kind of operations AFZ conducted in Congo?
Best regards
Violet Oboe
Several publications like Jane's and AFM maintain that AFZ had a number of J-7 losses during Zimbabwes intervention in Congo's civil war (presumably on the side of Kabila jun.).
Do you know something more specific like how they were lost (shot down, accident/attrition) and what kind of operations AFZ conducted in Congo?
Best regards
Violet Oboe
Hi guys, it appears that you could tell me something about this:
Several publications like Jane's and AFM maintain that AFZ had a number of J-7 losses during Zimbabwes intervention in Congo's civil war (presumably on the side of Kabila jun.).
Do you know something more specific like how they were lost (shot down, accident/attrition) and what kind of operations AFZ conducted in Congo?
Best regards
Violet Oboe
There are 3 that are widely accepted as having been lost after being sent to perform a flypast a Kabila’s funeral. Articles on the net say the first one crashed because the pilot got disoriented got lost and run out of fuel. He ejected and was rescued after 5 (??) days.
After the flypast, a second one crashed on landing at Lumumbashi Airport and blocked the runway. The third tried to use half of the runway and overshot. All pilots ejected safely.
Now, out of Zimbabwe what I hear is that all planes made it safely to DRC for the flypast. The first aircraft to crash was struck by lighting … … ??? … … I don’t know if aircraft should crash after a lightening strike. The home version agrees with the other two crashing on the runway.
However from inside Zimbabwe, the story of an AFZ ejected pilot being respected after 5 days in the DRC jungles is also true – and the name given is Michael Enslin. When #711 appeared for an airshow in 2005, some articles on the airshow suggested this was a new serial number. Now Topgunchens, in his drawings says 711 is flown by Michael Enslin. This then agrees with a story of Enslin crashing and getting a new plane.
The total count might be 4 that crashed in DRC, although reports of replacements say “5 replacements” … … one might not have been necessarily lost in DRC.
According to Zim press the pilot of the F-7 that crashed in the DRC was flown by a Wing Commander not Enslin and was due to bad weather not combat. Al Venter in his book "War Dog" as told to him by Dave Atkinson an AFZ AB412 helicopter pilot who flew in the DRC says Enslin was shot down by a surface to air missile while flying a close air support mission for Zimbabwean Soldiers in a Hawk Mk60 not an F-7. According to Atkinson Enslin spent three weeks not five days escaping and evading from the Rwandans and then fought out with the Zimbabwean soldiers he was supporting. The F-7 is a point defence fighter and it is most likely that the Hawks were used far more extensively in the Ground attack role than the F-7 interceptors. The BBC reported the Hawks were used extensively around Kinshasa and there was a picture of a Hawk carrying BL755 cluster bombs on there website. Was there any air to air fighting in the DRC?
Thanks Chipungu - you might have more insight into this than I do. I had read the article and that Zimbabwe had F-7s in DRC for the fighting. From the fact that Enslin was shot down and that he is pilot #711, i had reasoned that he was shot down in an F-7. I will chack the Dave Atkinson book - I have not read it and it should be interesting.
This is what I have seen before:
and it says, "Local speculation has centered on the Chengdu FC-1 as the fighter in question, but this raises more questions since this model is still in the developmental stage. Still, the Air Force is known to have pursued procurement of the older Chengdu F-7MG. (11/04)"
Another source I read about this deal say the F-7MGs were bought in place of the Mig-29 deal that was being financed by Nicholas van Hoogstraten.
Here is another interesting article - mentions the second batch of K-8 being a deal that also had AA misiles - I remember you asking about that:
and it says, "Local speculation has centered on the Chengdu FC-1 as the fighter in question, but this raises more questions since this model is still in the developmental stage. Still, the Air Force is known to have pursued procurement of the older Chengdu F-7MG. (11/04)"
Another source I read about this deal say the F-7MGs were bought in place of the Mig-29 deal that was being financed by Nicholas van Hoogstraten.
Here is another interesting article - mentions the second batch of K-8 being a deal that also had AA misiles - I remember you asking about that:
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Thank you for that Chaminuka, it is very interesting, I have seen several pictures of AFZ K-8s on airliners.net. I believe they are replacing the BAe Hawk Mk60 although they are not as capable. The Pl-9 will greatly increase the effectiveness of the AFZ F-7s, I wonder if they have helmet mounted sights or whether installing such a system would be too costly in an older aeroplane with out databuses etc?