Nanchang J-12

Nanchang J-12 

 The Nanchang J-12 was a lightweight supersonic fighter built by the People's Republic of China, intended for use by People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was one of the first serious attempts by Chinese aircraft manufacturers to develop an indigenous, modern jet fighter. Weighing 3,172 kg (6,993 lb) empty, the J-12 is one of the lightest jet fighters ever built. However, neither the J-12 nor the related Shenyang J-13 project entered service.

Specifications

• Crew: 1

• Length: 10.644 m (34 ft 11 in) excluding pitot probe (J-12I - 10.665 m (34.99 ft))

• Wingspan: 7.192 m (23 ft 7 in)

  

  J-12

  
  

• Height: 3.706 m (12 ft 2 in)

• Wing area: 16.0 m2 (172 sq ft)

• Empty weight: 3,172 kg (6,993 lb)

• Max takeoff weight: 5,295 kg (11,673 lb)

• Powerplant: 1 × Wopen WP-6B non-afterburning turbojet, 24.52 kN (5,512 lbf) thrust

performance overview

• Maximum speed: 1,472 km/h (915 mph, 795 kn) at 11,000 m (36,000 ft) (J-12I - M1.386)

• Range: 1,167 km (725 mi, 630 nmi) maximum estimated range on internal fuel

• Service ceiling: 16,870 m (55,350 ft) service ceiling. (J-12I - 17,410 m (57,120 ft))

• Rate of climb: 180 m/s (35,000 ft/min) maximum

• Take-off run: 450 m (1,480 ft)

weapon system

• Guns: two large caliber cannon in the wing-roots

• Hardpoints: 3 - one under each wing and one on the fuselage center-line

• Missiles: (J-12I - provision for 2x PL-2 air-air missiles) 

Design and development

 In 1969, the PLAAF issued an order to build a small, inexpensive, STOL (short takeoff and landing) lightweight fighter to replace the MiG-19. Two designs were submitted, namely the Shenyang J-11 and the Nanchang J-12. Prototypes of the J-12 were designed by Lu Xiaopeng and built by the Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC). The J-12 was a small single-seat jet fighter with low-set, swept wings, swept control surfaces, tubular fuselage, and nose intake with a small or absent shock cone, and flight testing began on 26 December 1970. Due to less than satisfactory performance, three additional J-12I prototypes were built with improvements such as simplified control surfaces, a lighter area ruled fuselage and revised intake. 

In 1977 the development of the J-12 was abandoned, due to inadequate firepower and engine thrust and also likely due to the introduction of the Chengdu J-7, which offered superior performance and was based on the Soviet MiG-21F.

The J-12 prototypes had accumulated 61 hours in 135 flights by 1977. In the 1990s, Lu Xiaopeng proposed upgrading the J-12's fighter design with a reduced Radar cross-section to make the J-12 stealthy and suggested a modified J-12 fighter to a carrier-based fighter for PLA Navy, but none of the proposals were accepted.

Shenyang J-12 Stealth Fighter

After entering the "95" plan, there appeared overseas aircraft like the F-22, JSF, and other advanced fighter aircraft. Lu Zongshi [NFI] proposed taking the F-22 as the operational goal for new air superiority fighter plane research. The designation J-12 was given to the airplane's essential features: improvement in body structure, vectored thrust, phased-array radar, air refueling installment, double redundancy fire control computers, the 1553B main bus, stealth material and the coating, medium-range active radar guided missile and so on. This heavy fourth-generation machine tentative plan was based on too many immature technologies - for example, long-range phased-array radar - that Russia was unable to achieve.

In 1998 the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) reported that an advanced F-22-class twin-engine stealth fighter designated as J-12 was under development at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). In 2002, Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation had been selected to head the research and development of a new fighter. In 2003 an online photo showed a wind tunnel test fighter mockup some claimed was linked to the J-12 project. Reports suggested that the fighter would be fitted with an internal weapon bay and possibly active phased array radar.

Besides carrying on with the improvement of the J-8 series and the licensed production of the Su-27, the Shenyang Aircraft Company (SAC) 601 Institute was reported to be engaged in preliminary research for the "No. 12" project for the development of the Chinese Air Force's main fighter aircraft for the 21st century. Also known as the "XXJ," this fifth-generation PLAAF fighter, was projected 2003 to enter service in the 2013-2015 timeframe. The aircraft was projected to have a crew of two and was anticipated to be in the same class as a US F-22 fighter, probably based on significant Russian technical assistance.