Let's talk about the J-8II

Availability. It takes a few years to perfect a new supersonic UAV with a few tons of payload. J-8 is available now.

It could definitely be an "option" to use J-8s as some form of UCAVs, but they won't be particularly efficient at their jobs and will probably just end up being high altitude, high speed targets or decoys. Certainly the electronics don't exist for it to effectively be used as a SEAD platform.

Better to retain J-8IIs in their current role -- interceptors. A few of the later blocks can carry a few PL-12 and PL-11s, and clearly PLAAF had modified a few to carry YJ-91/Kh-31 too. That doesn't mean J-8IIs are the PLAAF's primary SEAD or wild weasel plane. JH-7/A probably has that honour, along with Su-30s.

Given the Chinese Military's historical tendency to squeeze every bit of value and use out of its hardware, I had hoped to see the J-8 line developed into something like the proposed F-4X/RF-4X or IAI Super Phantom. But alas, it will probably never happen.

Anybody have any more up to date information on this old warrior? I know not as sexy as a J-10 or J-20, but this great aircraft is all to often overlooked.

wairoa said:

Anybody have any more up to date information on this old warrior? I know not as sexy as a J-10 or J-20, but this great aircraft is all too often overlooked.

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We have a thread on older PLAAF planes.

siegecrossbow said:

We have a thread on older PLAAF planes.

The Q-5, J-7, J-8 and older PLAAF aircraft

Another one. Interesting, this one have a one-piece windscreen unlike the red one posted just before. The first is J-7F and the one piece canopy one the J-7FS ?

www.sinodefenceforum.com

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Thanks for this.