Chinese fighter jet crashes in Hainan province.
According to China's South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Chinese fighter jet crashed in Hainan on March 12 during training, killing two pilots.
According to a statement from China's Ministry of Defense, cited by SCMP, a fighter jet belonging to the People's Liberation Army Navy crashed in southern Hainan province during a training flight.
| Video footage from the scene of the Chinese fighter jet crash on March 12. |
The accident occurred in the city of Luodong, located in the southwest of Hainan Island.
Both pilots on board the fighter jet have been confirmed dead. Fortunately, no civilians on the ground were injured or killed in the accident.
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| The scene of the Chinese fighter jet crash on March 12. |
Although the Chinese Ministry of Defense did not disclose the type of aircraft involved in the crash, based on available information, the SCMP reported that it was most likely a JH-7. This fighter jet officially entered service with the Chinese Air Force and Navy in the 1990s.
However, since entering service, a series of unfortunate accidents involving the JH-7 have been recorded. Despite this, the JH-7 is still considered a source of pride for China's defense industry.
According to publicly available information, the JH-7 is a two-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft currently in service with the naval air force and the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China. China currently has approximately 160-180 JH-7 aircraft and continues to produce them.
The organizations involved in producing this aircraft are the Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group and the 602 Aircraft Design Institute. The first batch of JH-7 aircraft were commissioned in the mid-1990s for testing and evaluation, and the improved JH-7A version entered service in 2004.
In terms of technical specifications, the JH-7 has a length of 22.32m; a wingspan of 12.7m; a height of 6.57m; an empty weight of 14,500 kg; and a maximum takeoff weight of 28,475 kg. This fighter-bomber is capable of combat operations day and night, in all weather conditions.
The aircraft is equipped with two Xian WS9 engines, each with a thrust of 54 kN and afterburner thrust of 91.2 kN; a maximum speed of 1,808 km/h at an altitude of 11,000 m (36,000 ft); a cruising speed of 903 km/h; a range of 3,650 km; a combat radius of 1,650 km (890 nautical miles); and a service ceiling of 15 km.
The JH-7 can carry 6,500 kg (14,500 lb) of weapons; is equipped with one 23 mm GSh-23L twin-barreled automatic cannon with 300 rounds of ammunition; carries PL-5 air-to-air missiles, YJ-8K and YJ-82K anti-ship missiles, YJ-91 anti-radar missiles, and is equipped with free-fall and laser-guided bombs.
