Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12)

The history of Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12)

The aircraft that would later become the J-12 ("Jianjiji-12") began in 1969 when the Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) needed to plan to replace the aging Soviet-born Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 single-seat aircraft , jet fighter. The service sought a compact, lightweight form, powered by a turbojet engine, suitable for short-field operations while being economical for mass production.

Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC) (with a design brought by Lu Xiaopeng) beat the Shenyang company's entry and became the announced winner. Three prototypes were eventually completed in the initial phase, followed by their maiden flight on December 26, 1970.

The influence of Soviet design on the J-12 is evident, as the new aircraft is broadly similar to the Soviet MiG-21 "Fishbed" fighter introduced in 1959 (same as the MiG-21), although the "real" main aircraft with swept wings Used together (as opposed to the MiG-21's delta plan), these aircraft were mounted low on the sides of the fuselage. The empennage contains a vertical fin and low-mounted horizontal plane, all of which are also swept over.

Like the MiG-21, the J-12 has a bulged fuselage spine, which somewhat reduces visibility at the rear of the aircraft.

Power comes from a single Wopen WP-6Z turbojet providing 5,512 pounds of dry thrust and 9,000 pounds of reheated thrust. The unit was at the time the latest version of the original WP-6, itself based on the Soviet Tumansky R-9BF-811 series of turbojets.

Mounted armament includes a cannon as a standard stationary weapon to support close range operations and Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM) with three available hardpoints. The artillery armament consisted of a 30mm system mounted on the port wing root, in conjunction with a 23mm system mounted on the starboard wing root.

There are two hardpoints under the wings, one for each wing, and one under the fuselage.

As with any ambitious program, especially on the fighter plane, the J-12 was not an immediate success due to its lack of overall performance, leading to a series of incremental modifications to the basic design - weapons were moved further aft , modified the air intake, reduced the weight of the fuselage, added split flaps, etc. This work subsequently resulted in one aircraft, which took off for the first time in July 1975, and six other aircraft built to pre-production standards.

The program will eventually be named after nine J-12 aircraft, including three prototypes and six pre-production prototypes.

Development of the J-12 ended in January 1977, with 60 hours and 135 flights in the air with the arrival of the competing (and better) Chengdu J-7 (the Chinese native version of the Soviet MiG-21) . When complete, the J-12 will have a top speed of 810 mph, a range (combat) of up to 430 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 55,675 feet. The climb rate is 35,533 feet per minute.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes