Nanchang Q-5

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Q-5 / A-5
An A-5 of the Bangladesh Air Force
Role
Ground-attack aircraft
National origin
People's Republic of China
Manufacturer
Nanchang Aircraft Mfg. Co.
First flight 10 June 1965
Introduction 1970
Retired 2011 by Pakistan Air Force
2015 by Bangladesh Air Force
2017 by PLA Air Force
Status Active service.
Primary users PLA Air Force (historical)
Pakistan Air Force (historical)
Myanmar Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force (historical)
Produced 1969–2012
Number built 1,300 (approx.)[1]
Developed from Shenyang J-6

The Nanchang Q-5 (

Chinese-built single-seat, twin jet engine ground-attack aircraft based on the Shenyang J-6. The aircraft is primarily used for close air support
.

Design and development

The PRC was an enthusiastic user of the

MiG-19, which it manufactured locally as the Shenyang J-6 from 1958. In August 1958, the People's Liberation Army requested development of a jet attack aircraft
for the air support role.

Lu Xiaopeng was appointed chief designer of this project. Lu also designed the J-12 fighter jet.[2] Although based on the MiG-19, the new design, designated Qiangjiji-5 (fifth attack aircraft design), had a longer fuselage, area ruled to reduce transonic drag and accommodate a 4 m (13-ft) long internal weapons bay.[3] The air intakes were moved to the fuselage sides to make space in the nose for a planned target radar (which was never actually fitted). New wings with greater area and reduced sweep were incorporated. The Q-5 shares the J-6's Liming Wopen WP-6 A (Tumansky RD-9) turbojet engines. The redesign cost some high-altitude speed, but the Q-5 is as fast as the MiG-19/J-6 at low level, thanks largely to the area-ruled fuselage.

Q-5 in Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

Fixed armament of the Q-5 was reduced to two Type 23-1 23 mm cannon with 100 rounds per gun, mounted in the wing roots. Two pylons under each wing and two pairs of tandem pylons under the engines were provided in addition to the weapons bay. A total of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of ordnance could be carried internally, with an additional 1,000 kg externally. On many aircraft the weapons bay is now used primarily for an auxiliary fuel tank.

Production drawings were completed in 1960 allowing construction of prototypes to begin, but the political climate in China resulted in the project being canceled in 1961. A small team kept the program alive until work restarted in earnest at Nanchang.[4] The first flight finally occurred on 10 June 1965. Series production began in 1969, with squadron delivery starting in 1970.

About 1,000 aircraft were produced, 600 of them being the updated Q-5A. A small number, perhaps a few dozen, Q-5As were modified to carry nuclear weapons; these are believed to retain their internal weapons bay. A long-range Q-5I, introduced in 1983, added a fuel tank instead of the internal weapons bay, compensating for that with the provision of two additional underwing pylons. Some of these aircraft serve with the PLA Navy, and have apparently been equipped with radar to guide anti-ship missiles. Subsequent minor upgrades include the Q-5IA, with a new gun/bomb sighting system and avionics, and the Q-5II, with radar warning receiver (RWR).[citation needed]

In the 1980s, the aircraft was exported to nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and is often known as the A-5 in those nations.

Plans for an upgraded Q-5/A-5 with Western equipment and new navigation and attack (nav/attack) systems were largely aborted following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, but the aircraft continued in service until its retirement in 2017. It is a capable light attack aircraft, although its limited navigation and weapons-delivery systems are inferior to more modern aircraft.[citation needed]

In more recent years, the

PLAAF has begun to field newer models of the Q-5, that incorporate some of the technology developed during the canceled Q-5M and Q-5K projects. The Q-5 introduces a nose-mounted laser rangefinder, and a laser designator is also likely to be fitted since the aircraft is said to be able to deliver laser-guided bombs.[5] The Q-5A variant is believed to be capable of delivering nuclear munitions. The Q-5D is an upgrade with new avionics, including a HUD and a new navigation system. The Q-5E and Q-5F models are reportedly being worked on, though little is known about them at this time.[citation needed
]

Operational history

The Sudanese Air Force employed its A-5 attack jets during the War in Darfur.[6]

In March 2015, some

HQ-12 surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets.[7]

On 20 April 2017 two Q-5s were seen in Bohai Bay practicing air strikes against ground targets in the wake of increased tensions on the Korean peninsula.[8]

Variants

Domestic variants

Q-5
Old Q-5s on the deck of the Minsk, at the Minsk World Theme Park
Old Q-5 numbered #0064

Export variants

Operators

Current operators

 Myanmar

 Sudan

Former operators

 People's Republic of China

 Bangladesh

 North Korea

  • Korean People's Air Force received 40 airplanes in 1982.[14] However, they have never been seen in service nor captured on satellite imagery, and according to statistics from GlobalSecurity.org, they were withdrawn between 1990 and 1995.[15]

 Pakistan

Specifications (Q-5D)

View of Nanchang Q-5

Data from Wilson[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 15.65 m (51 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.68 m (31 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 4.33 m (14 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area: 27.95 m2 (300.9 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 6,375 kg (14,054 lb)
  • Gross weight: 9,486 kg (20,913 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 11,830 kg (26,081 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 ×
    Liming Wopen-6A
    afterburning turbojet engines, 29.42 kN (6,610 lbf) thrust each dry, 36.78 kN (8,270 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 1,210.23 km/h (752.00 mph, 653.47 kn) [21]
  • Maximum speed: Mach 1.12
  • Range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi)
  • Combat range: 400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi) lo-lo-lo with maximum payload
600 km (370 mi; 320 nmi) hi-lo-hi
  • Service ceiling: 16,500 m (54,100 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 103 m/s (20,300 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 423.3 kg/m2 (86.7 lb/sq ft)

Armament

  • Guns:Norinco Type 23-2K 23 mm (0.906 in) cannon, 100 rounds per gun
  • Hardpoints: 10 (4× under-fuselage, 6× under-wing) with a capacity of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb)
  • Rockets: 57 mm, 90 mm, 130 mm unguided rocket pods
  • Missiles: PL-2, PL-5, PL-7 air-to-air missiles
  • Bombs: **50 kg (110 lb), 150 kg (330 lb), 250 kg (550 lb), 500 kg (1,100 lb) unguided bombs
  • Others:
    • Fuel tanks: 400 L (105 U.S. gal), 760 L (200 U.S. gal), 1,100 L (300 U.S. gal)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Notes

  1. ^ a b Wilson 2000, p. 107
  2. ^ "Q5 attack aircraft chief designer Lu Xiaopeng". AirForceWorld.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  3. ^ "Q5_attack_aircraft_weapon_bay". AirForceWorld.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  4. ^ Gordon & Komissarov 2008, p. 147
  5. ^ "Qiang-5 (Q-5, A-5, Fantan) Ground Attack Aircraft". SinoDefence.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
  6. ^ Andersson, Hilary (13 July 2008). "China 'is fuelling war in Darfur'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  7. ^ Feinberg, William (14 March 2015). "China summons Burmese ambassador after bomb kills four in Yunnan". East by Southeast. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  8. ^ Shim, Elizabeth. "China deploys fighter jets in drills near North Korea". Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  9. ^ "West Updates China's Best", Flight International issue September 1987, page 45, FlightGlobal.com archive URL: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%201859.html Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 February 2010.
  10. ^ Air Cdre (R) Muhammad Ali (3 March 2022). "Fantastic Fantan". Second to None. Directorate of Media Affairs Pakistan Air Force.
  11. ^ Hoyle & Fafard 2019, p. 44
  12. ^ Hoyle & Fafard 2019, p. 50
  13. ^ "Phased Out Aircraft". Bangladesh Air Force. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  15. ^ "Korean People's Army Air Force Equipment". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  16. ^ "Fantastic Fantan". Second to None. Directorate of Media Affairs Pakistan Air Force. 3 March 2022.
  17. ^ Bokhari, Farhan (15 April 2011). "Pakistan retires A-5 'Fantan'". Jane's Defence Weekly.
  18. ^ Parsons, Gary (19 February 2010). "First JF-17 squadron forms". key.aero. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  19. ^ "Pakistan & China's JF-17 Fighter Program". defenseindustrydaily.com. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  20. ^ Parsons, Gary (12 April 2011). "JF-17 build-up progresses". key.aero. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  21. ^ "Aerospaceweb.org (Q-5 IA)". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2009-04-19.

References

External links