Chinese J-7 jet crashes into house; 4 injured

A military jet on a routine training flight crashed into a house in southern China on Tuesday, setting the building on fire and injuring several people inside, state media reported.

China Central Television said the pilot ejected and parachuted to safety before the crash in Shantou city in Guangdong province. It said one of the four people inside the house managed to escape. The three others were hospitalized and one, a 26-year-old woman, was in critical condition, it said.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that four civilians were injured and received treatment at a hospital.

Citing the Ministry of Defense, it said the J-7 fighter jet had a mechanical failure just after takeoff from a Shantou airport.

The mostly retired fighter jets are a 1960s-era Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-21.

The Shantou city government's emergency office referred calls to its propaganda office, where calls rang unanswered. Calls to the Defense Ministry's news office also rang unanswered.

Chengdu F-7

Flown for the first time in January 1966, the Shenyang J-7 was a Chinese version of the Soviet MiG-21 ‘Fishbed’. By then Shenyang was working on the J-8, so development was transferred to Chengdu, where derivatives have been in production ever since. The J-7I, designated F-7B for export, was produced in small numbers before giving way to the J-7II, with an improved WP-7B engine. With Western avionics the J-7II became the F-7M Airguard. Development continues with the F-7MG, aimed at the export market.

Albania and Tanzania used the original J-7 as the F-7A, while F-7Bs were supplied to Egypt, Iraq and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar and Zimbabwe all received the F-7M Airguard, which is also used by the main export customer for the series, Pakistan. The F-7P variant was developed specifically to meet Pakistan’s requirement’s.

Before the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, Chengdu was collaborating with the American manufacturer

Grumman on a Super-7 derivative for Pakistan. It was intended to use a US engine and carry the APG-66 radar used by the F-l6, plus Sidewinder missiles. However, the US government suspended the collaboration.

Chengdu F-7 Production of the two-seat JJ-7/FT-7 trainer variant is carried out at Guizhou. Another variant for the Chinese air force is the all-weather J-7III. Flown for the first time in April 1984, the lit is powered by an up-rated 64.72-kN (14,650-lb.-thrust) Wopen WP-13 engine and also carries a new radar.

The latest version of the J-7 is the F-7MG which has a new wing, Western avionics and much improved weaponry.


Source: BEIJING - The Associated Press News - 17 December 2012

Photo: The Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) Chengdu J-7 Fighter Aircraft (Photo by kamov.net)


(12/17/2012)