• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Shenyang JH-8

According to Gordon & Komissarov: "Chinese Aircraft. China's aviation industry since 1951" (2008) the Shenyang J-8 was a long-range interceptor and the prototype first flew on 5th July 1969. The J-8 I (or J-8A) all-weather interceptor was a significant upgrade on the former, the first prototype was destroyed (25th June 1980) & the 2nd flew on 24th April 1981.

It should be noted that the JH-7 and JH-8 seem to be the same series number, and both belong to the fighter bomber, but the meaning of the two numbers is completely different: the number of the JH-7 indicates the aircraft On the basis of inheriting the bomber H-7, it has part of the air combat capability, which belongs to the "bomber with air combat capability". The bomber H-8 indicates that the design of the aircraft originated from the bomber H-8 and has bombing (ground attack) capabilities. Belongs to "fighter jets with outstanding bombing capabilities." The Shenyang JH-8 was a fighter-bomber project initiated around 1975 and intended to replace the Nanchang Q-5. Shenyang proposed the 'JH-8' (Jiangjiji Hongzhaji meaning fighter bomber), based on the J-8 but with a significantly different airframe. A 3-view in the western press showed an aircraft very similar to the Sukhoi T-58Sh strike aircraft project. The project was cancelled in 1978, but served as the basis for the J-8II fighter which first flew on 12 June 1984.

The JH-8 aircraft's maximum ceiling of 20,000 meters was down to 15,000 meters, the maximum speed was reduced by two Mach 1.75 Mach, but arms carrying amount increased from 2200 kg to 4500 kg, a range of more than 3000 kilometers, and can carry a variety of AAM. Aprat from these unconfirmed reports, the details about the aircraft is unknown. Some analysts even tried to link it with the Soviet Union Su-15Sh. . In March 1960, PO Sukhoi OKB-51 (since 1965 - the Moscow Machine-Building Plant "Pendant") initiated a plane which received factory code T-58. The new machine had an intake of rectangular cross-section with a vertical wedge brake. Such a device had not been sufficiently worked out in the USSR, and the OKB was taking a certain technical risk. The fuselage of the plane was a large body of complex shape elongation starting a pointed radome radar, which smoothly into the nose section. This was followed by the cockpit and side air intakes. In the summer of 1969, the PO Sukhoi OKB-51 developed a deep modernization of the original aircraft. The draft T-58Sh had a new fuselage nose, provide the best overview; install the keystone wing of greater area and less swept to the front edge.

The Chinese aviation industry leader, Nanchang, was the only company in China with experience in the the production of ground attack aircraft, namely the Q-5. The Shenyang JH-8 was born of the J-8 program, with the body of the J-8 interceptor the foundation for the new attack aircraft. Shenyang Aircraft Factory engineering and technical personnel took the rear fuselage of the J-8, and developed a new front fuselage. The front of the Chinese machine and the MiG-23 are similar, with the installation of a high power radar. This J-8 variant had the intake air intake on both sides of, which was very similar to the design of the Soviet Union, and installed more powerful engines. Sources also mention the use of "variable-geometry wings" to carry more weapons.

As a fighter with ground attack as its main task, the JH-8 abandoned unnecessary high-altitude and high-speed performance on the basis of the J-8, and instead focused its design on improving maneuverability and load capacity. Design positioning and performance requirements of fighter bombers. However, due to the inherent design flaws of the high-altitude and high-speed interceptor, the JH-8 may be difficult to perform the attack task. Although the JH-8 is relatively large in size, it is limited to platform design restrictions. Compared to the contemporary F-111, Su-24, and “Fengfeng” IDS models, it has the disadvantages of fewer bullets and short range, even compared to the same.

In 1976, in the process of bidding for the new generation attack platform of the Chinese Air Force and the Navy Air Force, Nanchang Aircraft Factory proposed a strong-6 design plan, Xi'an Aircraft Factory proposed a JH-7 plan, and Shenyang Aircraft Factory proposed a JH-6 -8 design scheme. The J-8 is based on the J-8 fighter aircraft, and with reference to the design of the MiG-23??, the air intake layout of the J-8 nose is arranged on both sides of the fuselage. Compared with the J-8, this aircraft optimizes the capabilities related to ground attack, such as bomb load, range, and low-speed and low-speed performance, while weakening high-altitude high-speed capabilities.

The JH-8 uses two turbojet-7A turbojet engines, which are also the power units of the J-8 series. It should be noted that, in the research and development stage of the JH-8, in addition to the turbojet -7, the large-thrust aero engines that can be provided in China also have a turbofan-9 with a larger thrust than the British "Spey" Mk.202. Turbofan-6. The reason why the latter two are discarded and the turbojet -7 is selected is that it is common with the J-8 series power unit to facilitate logistic maintenance, and the other is because the fuselage design of the J-8 is derived from the J- 8, small fuselage width, limited volume, can not be equipped with a larger diameter turbofan engine. In addition, both the turbofan-6 and turbofan-9 are still in the research and development stage in the design stage of the JH-8, and objectively there is no possibility of installation. Compared with the turbofan-9 used for the JH-7 and the turbo-6 planned for the Qiang-6, turbojet-7A belongs to the turbojet engine developed for the second-generation supersonic fighter, and its design characteristics are more emphasis. High-altitude high-speed performance, but there is a large gap in fuel consumption, thrust, weight-to-weight ratio.

Competitor JH-7 is also a far cry. At the same time, the speed of subsystem development is seriously lagging behind. In the end, it failed to compete with the Jian-H-7 program of Xi'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, and never entered the development stage of engineering prototypes. The project sought the shortest time possible to reach service. However, serious technical difficulties became a stumbling block. Since other designs heralded a great success, Defense Science and Technology Commission suspended the design work of JH-8. Six years later, Shenyang and took the JH-8 reference layout to develop a greatly improved J-8II fighters. Certain aspects of the news that the China, Shenyang is also intended to be used as a substitute aircraft for the H-5 bomber. After the project was discontinued, some of the technology of the J-8 was used in the J-8II project.

Unfortunately, information about the JH-8 project is very limited, as it had not reached the prototype stage when the Defence Science and Technology Commission suspended work.