JF-17 THUNDER/ FC-1

[edit] Development
The JF-17 is being built by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) and Pakistan's Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. The project is expected to cost around US$500 million, divided equally between China and Pakistan. The project is supported by China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation for the Chinese side. Each individual aircraft is expected to have a fly-away cost of around US$8-15 million. The JF-17 Thunder initial development was completed in a period of four years.[6] However, later improvements to the aircraft design did take up more time. Pakistan has announced that it has 150 aircraft on order, but this may well go up to 250-300. The JF-17 will replace Pakistan's MiG-21-derived Chengdu F-7, Nanchang A-5/Q-5 and Dassault Mirage III/Mirage V]] aircraft currently in service. Azerbaijan[7] and Zimbabwe have already placed orders and eight other countries have expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 at a recent military exhibition in Pakistan, according to an official.


[edit] Origins
After a successful deal with China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in the early 1980s resulting in the Chengdu F-7M, the United Kingdom offered a further upgrade to improve the performance of the F-7M by adopting either General Electric F404 or Pratt & Whitney PW 1120 turbofan engines. The radar options would include the Red Fox, a repackaged version of the Blue Fox radar used on Sea Harrier FRS Mk 1, and the Emerson AN/APG-69. Although radar tests were successful, the upgrade was rejected before any engine tests because both the radar and engine cost more than a new J-7 (2 million 1984 United States Dollars). The name Super-7, however, was retained to be used for FC-1/JF-17.

In 1986, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation signed an agreement with Grumman Aerospace to develop an upgraded Chengdu F-7P called "Saber II" for the Pakistan Air Force. Considered a replacement of the abandoned Super-7 project, F-7 was redesigned with side intakes replacing the nose intake. The resulting aircraft looked like a single-seat Guizhou JL-9/FTC-2000. The General Electric AN/APG-67 radar used on the F-20 Tigershark would have been adopted. The program was terminated in 1990 due to the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989.

CAC kept the program alive by providing low-level funding from its own resources. After U.S. military and economic sanctions imposed on Pakistan in 1990 prevented the delivery of advanced F-16 Fighting Falcons, Pakistan again became interested in the continued Super-7 project which eventually evolved into the FC-1/JF-17.


[edit] Test flights
The first prototype was rolled out on 31 May 2003, conducted its first taxi trials on 1 July and made its first flight on 25 August of the same year. The third prototype, PT-03, made its first flight in April 2004. It is believed that at some point during these initial test flights, the name Super-7 was replaced by the Chinese designation FC-1 (Fighter China-1) and the Pakistani designation JF-17 (Joint Fighter-17).

The PT-04 prototype of JF-17 successfully completed its first operational flight in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday 10 March 2006.[8] On 28 April 2006, PT-04 made its first flight with fully operational avionics. This prototype of JF-17 is configured as a multi-role fighter-bomber, equipped with advanced avionics and capable of carrying multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Pakistan received the first consignment of 2 aircraft on 23 March 2007. China was supposed to start official production in June 2007 while Pakistan Aeronautical Complex was planning to start manufacturing the JF-17 in 2008.


[edit] Evolution
The fourth prototype version was redesigned, with divertless supersonic intakes (DSI) being the most notable new feature; the DSI design diverts turbulent boundary layer airflow away from the engine inlet.[9][10] The wing leading edge extensions (LEX) were enlarged to improve flying characteristics. An electronic warfare fairing was added to the tip of the vertical stabiliser. Two sensors were fitted to the base of the vertical stabiliser to detect approach of enemy missiles.

At the Sixth Zhuhai Airshow in China, a Unit Training Device (UTD) appearing identical to the earlier mock-up of the JF-17 was publicly displayed and the manufacturer of the aircraft, along with other manufacturers of airborne weaponry, provided more detailed information on their projects.


[edit] Design
The JF-17 is a turbofan-powered single-seat monoplane constructed from aluminium alloys. It has mid-wounted wings with external hardpoints for weapons, fuel or avionics pods. The engine intakes for the single RD-93 turbofan are below the cockpit and it has a conventional fin and rudder and a tricycle nosewheel landing gear.


[edit] Avionics
The software of JF-17 totaled more than one million lines of instructions, incorporating the concept of open architecture. Instead of using the common Ada, the JF-17 software is written in C++ instead. The reason for using C++ instead of Ada was due to practice of the commercial off-the-shelf to better utilize the large number of civilian software programmers available. The avionics of JF-17 prototypes was based on Motorola 88000 microprocessor originally, but can be changed to other types of the same class. The 4th prototype includes many more advanced avionics features.