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K-8 of the Bangladesh Air Force | |
Role | Jet trainerLight attack |
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Manufacturer | Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation Pakistan Aeronautical Complex |
First flight | 21 November 1990 |
Introduction | 21 September 1994 |
Status | Operational |
Primary users | PLA Air Force Pakistan Air Force Egyptian Air Force Myanmar Air Force |
Produced | 1990-present |
Number built | 500+ |
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The JL-8 trainer was proposed as a joint cooperation effort between the governments of Pakistan and the People's Republic of China in 1986. The name was changed on the suggestion of Pakistan's President Zia ul Haq to Karakoram-8 to represent the friendship between the two countries. Work on the design started in 1987 at Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC) at Nanchang, Jiangshi Province in South Central China. The Chinese chief designer of the aircraft was Shi Ping (石屏), heading a team of over 100 Chinese Engineers, while Air Cdr Muhammad Younas Tbt (M), SI(M) was the chief designer from the Pakistani side leading a team of over 20 Pakistani engineers.
The JL-8 / K-8 has a multi-role capability for training and, with little modification, can also be used for airfield defense. The aircraft is supposed to be as cost-effective as possible, with a short turn-around time and low maintenance requirements. The JL-8 for the domestic Chinese market and its export variants, K-8E and K-8P, have different powerplants and avionics
Ceiling
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On 29 November 2015, COMAC delivered the first ARJ21-700 to Chengdu Airlines.[17] The first commercial flight took off from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport on June 28, 2016, landing in Shanghai two hours later.
Several Western sources claim the ARJ21 closely resembles either the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 or the MD-90, which were produced under licence in China.
Some of China's supercomputers have been used to design parts for the ARJ21.