China
UPDATED: 16:58, May 11, 2006
Xiaolong 04 to equip Pakistani Air Force http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200605/11/eng20060511_264786.html
Following the maiden flight of Xiaolong 04 fighter dated April 28, another Xiaolong 04 fighter made a flight performance in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province Wednesday.
At 1:43 pm, a Xiaolong 04, driven by test pilot of PLA Air Force He Binbin, soared into the blue sky. It landed safely after a nine-minute flight.
According to Liu Gaozhuo, GM of China Aviation Industry Corporation I, researchers and engineers developed avionic and weapon systems for Xiaolong 04 independently on the basis of Xiaolong 01 and 03, which further improves its combat capability. Luo Ronghuai, GM of Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group said the group will strive to make Xiaolong fighters equip Pakistani Air Force as soon as possible.
The development of Xiaolong fighter started in 1999. It only took four years from signing the contract to successful maiden flight; eight months from the maiden flight of Xiaolong 01 to Xiaolong 03 and one year from the maiden flight of Xiaolong 03 to Xiaolong 04.
Xiaolong fighter
Xiaolong light fighter, jointly invested by China Aviation Industry Corporation I and Pakistani Air Force, is independently developed by Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute to meet demands from domestic and international market.
Xiaolong fighter features strong maneuver ability, large flying range, and combat radius. It also boasts prominent short take-off and landing performance and large weapon-carrying capacity. With seven external hard-points, it carries a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons and three auxiliary fuel tank, with the total load reaching 3,600 kilograms.
The low-cost fighter has matched the third generation fighters in terms of overall combat efficacy, hence capable to contend with advanced contemporary fighters and fully satisfy the needs of modern wars.
By People's Daily Online
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