Anyone know how many J-7's and J-8's actually remain in service?
PLA Air Force news, pics and videos
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
In the latest PLAAF Orbat on Scramble I counted 3x J-8FR Regiments and 1 J-7 Bde (STC). Of course this is by no means guaranteed accurate, and does not consider former PLANAF units.
Oh nice, scramble updated.
Plaaf page, that is. Planaf page is still old and seems out of date. Two planaf j8 units it mentions should not have j8. Nor should be part of planaf.
Afaik, Planaf holds no j7/j8.
Anyway, is scramble is to be believed, only 52nd brigade now holds j7 as a combat ops plane.
It also lists another unit, a training one, operating some j7 alongside jl9 trainers.
All in all, there might be just 50 j7 in service at this point.
J8fr is the dedicated recon variant, so no combat j8 should be in service.
Plaaf page, that is. Planaf page is still old and seems out of date. Two planaf j8 units it mentions should not have j8. Nor should be part of planaf.
Afaik, Planaf holds no j7/j8.
Anyway, is scramble is to be believed, only 52nd brigade now holds j7 as a combat ops plane.
It also lists another unit, a training one, operating some j7 alongside jl9 trainers.
All in all, there might be just 50 j7 in service at this point.
J8fr is the dedicated recon variant, so no combat j8 should be in service.
Honestly wondering whether the JZ-8Fs should've been retired already by now (naturally with the any remaining J-7s in the fleet), given that the PLAAF is already operating plenty of J-20s by now and going forward (of which several could be modified for dedicated reconnaissance roles) + VLO ISTAR UAVs (Sky Hawk, CH-7 etc) that can be expected soon enough (+perhaps even the WZ-8).
Thanks.
Lethe
Captain
Bill Sweetman has penned another piece for ASPI on China's military aviation industry:
Beyond the obligatory framing that is probably a requirement for publication, I get the distinct impression that Sweetman is actually interested in military aviation for its own sake, rather than merely instrumentally as an expression of national power and pride: the hobbyist as distinct from the partisan.
From that perspective one can appreciate both his relative generosity towards China and his antipathy for the F-35, as the ultimate expression of the multigenerational trend toward the homogenisation and despeciation of manned combat aircraft.
Beyond the obligatory framing that is probably a requirement for publication, I get the distinct impression that Sweetman is actually interested in military aviation for its own sake, rather than merely instrumentally as an expression of national power and pride: the hobbyist as distinct from the partisan.
From that perspective one can appreciate both his relative generosity towards China and his antipathy for the F-35, as the ultimate expression of the multigenerational trend toward the homogenisation and despeciation of manned combat aircraft.
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I'm surprised Bill Sweetman would be so loose with his use of the word "copy" regarding the KJ-600 especially given it is unambiguously a matter of form follows function for that platform more than almost any other plane.
I do believe Sweetman is also still convinced Aurora is a Mach Bazillion hypersonic bird rather than a line item for the B-2. Keep that in mind.
