Shenyang J-5
Encyclopedia
The Shenyang J-5 , originally designated Dongfeng-101 - (East Wind-101), and also Type 56 before being designated J-5 in 1964, is a Chinese
-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
. The J-5 was exported as the F-5. The aircraft's NATO reporting name is "Fresco".
The MiG-17 was license-built in China, Poland and East Germany into the 1960s, the People's Liberation Army Air Force
(PLAAF) obtained a number of Soviet-built MiG-17 Fresco-A day fighters, designated J-5 in the early 1950s. To introduce modern production methods to Chinese industry the PLAAF obtained plans for the MiG-17F Fresco-C day fighter in 1955, along with two completed pattern aircraft, 15 knockdown kits, and parts for ten aircraft. The first Chinese-built MiG-17F, (serialed Zhong 0101), produced by the Shenyang factory, performed its initial flight on 19 July 1956 with test pilot Wu Keming at the controls.
Plans were obtained in 1961 for the MiG-17PF interceptor and production began, as the J-5A (F-5A), shortly afterwards. At this time the Cultural Revolution
was at its height, causing much disruption to industrial and technical projects, so the first J-5A didn't fly until 1964, when the type was already obsolete. A total of 767 J-5's and J-5A's had been built when production ended in 1969.
Somewhat more practically, the Chinese built a two-seat trainer version of the MiG-17, designated the Chengdu JJ-5 (Jianjiji Jiaolianji - Fighter Trainer - FT-5), from 1968, by combining the two-seat cockpit of the MiG-15UTI, the VK-1A engine of the J-5, and the fuselage of the J-5A. All internal armament was deleted and a single Nudelman-Richter NR-23 23 mm cannon was carried in a ventral pack. Production of the JJ-5 reached 1,061 when production ceased in 1986, with the type exported to a number of countries.
. A small number of JJ-5's remain with the PLAAF. China and Pakistan and Zimbabwe currently fly JJ-5 trainers. The single seat J-5 and the Soviet MiG-17 still flies today in the air forces of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, North Korea, Republic of the Congo, Somaliland, Sudan, and Tanzania.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. Most MiG-17 variants cannot carry air-to-air missiles, but shot down many aircraft with its cannons...
. The J-5 was exported as the F-5. The aircraft's NATO reporting name is "Fresco".
The MiG-17 was license-built in China, Poland and East Germany into the 1960s, the People's Liberation Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force is the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army, the military of the People's Republic of China...
(PLAAF) obtained a number of Soviet-built MiG-17 Fresco-A day fighters, designated J-5 in the early 1950s. To introduce modern production methods to Chinese industry the PLAAF obtained plans for the MiG-17F Fresco-C day fighter in 1955, along with two completed pattern aircraft, 15 knockdown kits, and parts for ten aircraft. The first Chinese-built MiG-17F, (serialed Zhong 0101), produced by the Shenyang factory, performed its initial flight on 19 July 1956 with test pilot Wu Keming at the controls.
Plans were obtained in 1961 for the MiG-17PF interceptor and production began, as the J-5A (F-5A), shortly afterwards. At this time the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
was at its height, causing much disruption to industrial and technical projects, so the first J-5A didn't fly until 1964, when the type was already obsolete. A total of 767 J-5's and J-5A's had been built when production ended in 1969.
Somewhat more practically, the Chinese built a two-seat trainer version of the MiG-17, designated the Chengdu JJ-5 (Jianjiji Jiaolianji - Fighter Trainer - FT-5), from 1968, by combining the two-seat cockpit of the MiG-15UTI, the VK-1A engine of the J-5, and the fuselage of the J-5A. All internal armament was deleted and a single Nudelman-Richter NR-23 23 mm cannon was carried in a ventral pack. Production of the JJ-5 reached 1,061 when production ceased in 1986, with the type exported to a number of countries.
Operational history
The J-5 and JJ-5 saw widespread use by the PLAAF until supplanted by more capable aircraft such as the Chengdu J-7Chengdu J-7
The Chengdu Jian-7 is a People's Republic of China-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. Though production ceased in 2008 it continues to serve, mostly as an interceptor, in several air forces, including China's.-Design and development:...
. A small number of JJ-5's remain with the PLAAF. China and Pakistan and Zimbabwe currently fly JJ-5 trainers. The single seat J-5 and the Soviet MiG-17 still flies today in the air forces of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, North Korea, Republic of the Congo, Somaliland, Sudan, and Tanzania.
Operators
- Albanian Air ForceAlbanian Air ForceThe Albanian Air Force is the national Air Force of the Albanian military. Currently it operates under the Albanian Joint Forces Command and it is regrouped in the Albanian Air Brigade...
— Shenyang J-5 jets were among the first Chinese military aid to AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, but the Albanian Air Force's deployment against the Yugoslav air incursion was relatively unsuccessful due to its subsonic speed, and the aircraft were soon reassigned once Shenyang J-6Shenyang J-6The Shenyang J-6 was the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft.-Design and development:...
's became available. Remaining J-5's may be in storage with the Albanian military.
- Bangladeshi Air Force
- People's Liberation Army Air ForcePeople's Liberation Army Air ForceThe People's Liberation Army Air Force is the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army, the military of the People's Republic of China...
- J-5 Retired since 1992. JJ-5 in service - People's Liberation Army Naval Air ForcePeople's Liberation Army Naval Air ForceThe People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force is the naval aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China.-Mission:Primary Mission* Provide fleet air defense for PLAN surface combatants...
- J-5 Retired since 1992. JJ-5 still in service.
- North Korean Air ForceNorth Korean Air ForceThe Korean People's Army Air Force, , is the name of the unified aviation forces of North Korea. The KPAF is the second-largest branch of the Korean People's Army with an estimated 110,000 personnel. It possesses between 1,600 and 1,700 aircraft of different types, mostly of Soviet and Chinese...
-100× F-5 with another 135× FT-5 trainers remained in service .
- Pakistan Air ForcePakistan Air ForceThe Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
— 25× FT-5 trainers remained in service .
- Sri Lankan Air ForceSri Lankan Air ForceThe Sri Lanka Air Force is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force with the assistance of the Royal Air Force . The SLAF played a major role throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War...
— J-5 were used as jet familiarisation trainers for Sri Lankan Air Force pilots.
- Sudanese Air ForceSudanese Air ForceThe Sudanese Air Force is the air force operated by the Republic of the Sudan. As such it is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces.-History:The Sudanese Air Force was founded immediately after Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956. The British assisted in the Air Force's...
— The Sudanese Air Force J-5 have been used for ground attack missions against rebels with limited air defences. Both MiG-17s and J-5s fly with the Sudanese air force.
- Somali Air CorpsSomali Air CorpsThe Somali Air Force is the air force of Somalia. The Somali Aeronautical Corps was the name of the Somali Air Force during the pre-independence period. After 1960, when Somalia gained independence, the name changed to the Somali Air Force...
— Like most aircraft in the Somali Air Corps inventory, the majority of the J-5 were lost during the Ogaden WarOgaden WarThe Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...
, in which more than 75% of the Somali Air Force was decimated by the Cuban supported Ethiopian Air ForceEthiopian Air ForceThe Ethiopian Air Force is the air arm of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and is tasked with protecting the air space, providing support to the ground forces as well as assisting during national emergencies.- Early years :...
.
- Tanzanian Air Force — The Tanzanian Air Force used J-5s were for ground attack missions during the Uganda-Tanzania WarUganda-Tanzania WarThe Uganda–Tanzania War was fought between Uganda and Tanzania in 1978–1979, and led to the overthrow of Idi Amin's regime...
. J-5 is still in service.
- United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
— In the 1980s, the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
purchased a number of J-5 aircraft, along with J-2Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
aircraft from China via the Combat Core Certification Professionals Company. These aircraft were employed in a "mobile threat test" program at Kirtland Air Force BaseKirtland Air Force BaseKirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy C. Kirtland...
, operated by 4477th "Red Hats" Test and Evaluation Squadron of the United States Air Force, and are now believed to be in storage.
- Vietnamese Air Force — The Vietnamese Air Force used J-5s alongside the Soviet supplied MiG-17s for interception missions until the 1990s when they were retired, along with the remaining MiG-19's, being replaced with newer MiG-21s and Su-27s.
- Air Force of ZimbabweAir Force of ZimbabweThe Air Force of Zimbabwe is the air force of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980. The Air Force of Zimbabwe saw service in the Mozambican Civil War in 1985 and the Second Congo War of 1998–2001....
— The J-5s in the Zimbabwe Air Force were first piloted by Pakistani pilots. JJ-5 are still in service as a intermediate trainer.
Variants
- Type 56 - pre-service designation for the J-5.
- Dongfeng-101 - original service name for the J-5.
- Shenyang J-5 - (Jianjiji-5 - fighter) Chinese production aircraft re-designated in 1964. 767 built, all single seat variants.
- Shenyang J-5A - licence production of the Radar-equipped Mig-17PF.
- Chengdu JJ-5 - (Jianjiji Jiaolianji - fighter trainer) A twin-seat trainer version of the J-5 designed and developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Combined the J-5 airframe, J-5A airbrakes and the tandem twin-seat cockpit section of the JJ-2 (MiG-15UTI). Export versions designated FT-5.
- Shenyang J-5 torpedo bomber - A single aircraft modified to carry a single torpedo under the fuselage centreline. Central cannon was removed, as was some fuel storage capacity. Trials showed performance degradation was too great and further work was abandoned.
Specifications (J-5)
See also
External links
- J-5 fighter jet, PLAAF China
- JJ-5 Trainer jet, PLAAF China
- http://www.airtoaircombat.com/background.asp?id=41 broken link Chinese & Polish MIG-17 Production