رد: طائرة التدريب المتقدم K-8e المصنعة في مصر
The 
Hongdu JL-8 (or 
Nanchang JL-8), also known as the 
K-8 Karakorum, is a two-seat intermediate jet 
trainer and light attack aircraft built in joint-cooperation between the 
People's Republic of China (
China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation) and 
Pakistan (
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex). The contractor for this plane is the 
Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation. Export versions are designated 
K-8 Karakorum, after the mountain range that separates China and Pakistan.
 .
The K-8 trainer was built through joint cooperation between the governments of 
Pakistan and the 
People's Republic of China. Initially, the aircraft was to feature many 
American parts, but due to political developments at the end of the 1980s, this plan was scrapped. The first 
prototype was built in 1989, with the first flight taking place on 21 November 1990.
The 
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) first received fourteen K-8 trainers in 1994, after which it decided to order 75 more to replace its fleet of 
T-37 trainers. The 
People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) received its first six K-8 trainers in 
1998. Later upgrades to the Chinese model included an indigenously manufactured Chinese engine. The PLAAF is anticipated to continue adding the trainer to its fleet in order to replace older trainers that are now 
obsolete, such as the 
JJ-5.
Other nations have shown interest in the trainer and it now also serves in the 
air forces of 
Egypt, 
Sri Lanka and 
Zimbabwe. While the plane primarily serves as a trainer, it can also be used in the 
ground-attack or even air combat role when appropriately armed.