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.