Shenyang J - 8 The Shenyang J - 8 ( Jian - 8 ; NATO reporting name : Finback ; ) is a high - speed , high - altitude Chinese - built single - seat interceptor fighter aircraft . Design and development . J - 8 . The effort to develop an all - weather interceptor began in full in 1964 and this produced the first Chinese - designed and built jet fighter to combat new , high altitude threats such as the B - 58 Hustler bomber , F - 105 Thunderchief fighter - bomber and Lockheed U - 2 spy plane . In 1964 the People ' s Liberation Army Air Force requested an aircraft from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute to develop a fighter / interceptor to counter bombers and spy planes as the , then , newly introduced Chengdu J - 7 ( a reverse engineered MiG - 21 ) was incapable of doing so . The prototype took its maiden flight in 1969 . Despite the early mid to late 1960s origins of the J - 8 , due to political turmoils such as the Cultural Revolution , the J - 8 was not produced until 1979 and entered service in 1980 . Its basic configuration resembles an enlargement of the delta - wing of the J - 7 , with two Liyang ( LMC ) Wopen - 7A turbojet engines and a maximum speed of Mach 2 . 2 . The twin engined J - 8 competed with rival Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group ' s single , turbofan powered engine , canard - delta J - 9 project and ultimately emerged as the victor largely due to the existing availability of the former ' s MiG - 21 based powerplant and proven layout , while the J - 9 project was cancelled in 1980 due to difficulty in creating a suitably powerful engine . In order to house a large radar set , the design called for a solid nose and variable geometry side air intakes . However , the lack of familiarity with this type of intake meant the J - 8 had to settle for a MiG - 21 style nose intake . The solid nose J - 8 was finally realized in the J - 8II ( Finback - B ) , which was based on the layout of the J - 8I . The same improvement is like the J - 6 to Q - 5 . The radar chosen for the J - 8 was the Type 204 mono - pulse fire - control radar , a primitive ranging radar for daylight within - visual - range operations . The performance of the radar fell well short of the PLAAFs requirements as research into a more capable fire control radar and power source proved difficult and time - consuming . The aircraft was originally armed with cannons and seven hardpoints for missile s , bomb s , rocket s or fuel tanks . The original weapons layout of the J - 8 was two 30 mm Type 30 - 1 cannons after initial problems with the 30 mm Type 30 - II four - barrel Gatling gun . The J - 8 was also planned to be armed with the experimental PL - 4 medium ranged missile but technical issues and political upheavals prevented any indepth development and the project was cancelled in 1985 citing unsatisfactory performance . Therefore the PL - 2 IR - homing short - range anti - aircraft missile ( SRAAM ) was used instead . Unguided bombs and rockets can also be carried on the J - 8 . And nowadays with the development of light - weight military nuclear weaponry , the J - 8II will now be able to carry missiles with nuclear warheads . Despite entering service relatively recently , it was comparable to many older Soviet fighter designs , with limited maneuverability . The original combat avionics package was soon replaced with an all - weather capability in aircraft designated J - 8I ( Finback - A ) . The J - 8I ( later redesignated as the J - 8A ) received a new gun sight , onboard computer , new cockpit design and redesigned ejection escape system and oxygen supply system . The gun armament was also changed from two 30 mm cannons to a single 23 mm twin - barreled cannon and the PL - 5 short ranged AAM was also equipped . The later J - 8E featured improved electronic warfare systems . The unsatisfactory performance of the J - 8I led to a very short production run of 20 – 50 aircraft and the J - 8I has slowly began being phased out as early as the 1990s . A tactical reconnaissance variant of the J - 8 , known as the JZ - 8 was developed in the mid 1980s to take advantage of the J - 8s few favourable qualities , most notably its capability of reaching high speeds and altitudes to replace the Shenyang JZ - 6 in the tactical reconnaissance role . Using an under - fuselage reconnaissance pod with a KA - 112A long focal - length optical camera , the JZ - 8 usually operates at heights ranging from 9 , 500 ~ 15 , 000m during reconnaissance missions . By 1982 work began to replace the unimpressive J - 8I type with a new design known as the J - 8II . The new 1982 requirements from the PLAAF demanded being capable of beyond visual range combat ( BVR ) with the use medium ranged missiles ( MRAAM ) and secondary ground attack capabilities . In terms of performance , the aircraft was expected to have better aerodynamic performance at medium to low altitudes and at transonic speeds . J - 8II . The J - 8II series appear quite different from the original J - 8 , with a new forward fuselage , intakes and nose structure more reminiscent of the F - 4 Phantom II or Sukhoi Su - 15 to house a new , more powerful radar . J - 8IIs are powered by Wopen - 13A ( WP - 13A ) engines . The design and development team was led by Gu Songfen , who is also a key member of J - 8I design team . It was hoped to equip the production J - 8B with an American AN / APG - 66 ( V ) radar ( to be dubbed the J - 8C ) , but this proved politically impossible after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 so the indigenous Type 208A mono - pulse fire - control radar initially was used . Although the Type 208A was an improvement over the original J - 8I radar , the Type 208A did not have true beyond visual range capabilities ( The detection range of the Type 208 was 40 km ) nor look - down / shoot - up ground attack capabilities , thereby falling short of the PLAAFs initial requirements and the redesign of the airframe . The J - 8B was the early production batch of the new J - 8II series . In addition to receiving a new radar , new engine and a completely redesigned noses , cockpit and intake , the J - 8B also benefited from a new HUD , integrated inertial navigation system / Global positioning satellite system and TACN technology . Later J - 8Bs were equipped with the more robust KLJ - 1 pulse - Doppler fire - control radar and radar warning receiver , theoretically giving the later batch BVR capabilities . J - 8B is the second Chinese aircraft to be equipped with a data link ( the first is Chengdu J - 7 III ) , and the data link is designated as Type 483 ( developed from Type 481 data link used for J - 7III ) , which enables ground - controlled interception centers to feed directions directly to the autopilots of J - 8Bs to fly " hands off " to the interception . At least 30 J - 8Bs have been converted by the PLA Navy to J - 8D standard , with an in - flight refuelling probe for use with Xian H - 6DU tankers in addition to newly built J - 8Ds . The most significant difference between the J - 8B and J - 8D is the use of the new Type - 02 airframe that was heavier than the J - 8B and featured uneven length wing fences . The heavier ' Type 02 ' airframe is able to carry a larger payload and can tolerate higher G - loadings . The new airframe also has a stiffer radome . A few minor differences between the later J - 8B batches and the J - 8D are the J - 8Ds slightly improved avionics . The use of the KLJ - 1 pulse - Doppler radar was used through the J - 8Ds entire production run . The J - 8B and J - 8D both suffered from China ' s difficulty in developing a MRAAM . Although the Type 208A was theoretically capable of using semi - active radar homing missiles and the KLJ - 1 was certainly capable ; no such missile , semi - active or active , were available at the time . Both variants were only initially armed with SRAAMs such as the PL - 2 and PL - 5 , and the more advanced infrared - homing PL - 8 SRAAM . An early attempt to remedy these technological shortcomings still present after the redesign of the J - 8 to the J - 8II was the J - 8C . The project began shortly after failure to obtain American cooperation for the J - 8B , so Shenyang turned to Israel and Russia instead . The J - 8C was considered a ' radical ' upgrade of the original J - 8II with a new radar based on the Israeli Elta EL / M 2035 multi - mode pulse Doppler radar , digital fire - control system , a new ‘ glass ’ cockpit , in - flight refuelling probe and equipped with a new WP - 14 " Kunlun " engine . These upgrades are said to ' bring the fighter into the same league as modern Russian and Western fighters such as Mikoyan MiG - 29 and Dassault Mirage 2000 - 5 ' . The project was cancelled in the late 1990s after two prototypes were built in favour of further development of the Shenyang J - 11 fighter ( which is based on the Sukhoi Su - 27 ) . The J - 8IIM , first flown in 1996 , is a further improved version . One major improvement over the J - 8II is the capable Russian - made Zhuk - 8II coherent pulse doppler radar , 100 of which have been delivered in the 1990s . Additionally , the J - 8IIM carried new multifunction displays , integrated INS / GPS navigation system , new fire - control systems , new alternators and a new electronic countermeasures suite . The J - 8IIM possessed true BVR capabilities with the use of the Vympel R - 27 semi - active infrared seeker medium - ranged missile . New WP - 13B turbojet engines were adopted as well . The J - 8IIM has had no new orders from China or the export market , where it is offered as the F - 8IIM . It was heavily marketed to Iran but ultimately was not exported anywhere . However the experience and technological achievements gained from the J - 8C and F - 8IIM projects were later applied by Shenyang Aircraft Company to the later J - 8H / F variants . It was also during this time that the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology certified the PL - 11 in 2001 after successfully test firing five missiles from the J - 8II . The PL - 11 is a copy of the Italian Selenia Aspide semi - active radar homing medium ranged missile originally acquired in 1989 before Italy refused to cooperate further with the Chinese government in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square incident . This slowed down China ' s testing of the missile considerably , preventing the J - 8B / D from carrying the missile when they were introduced in the 1990s , as the original plan had intended . The J - 8H configuration features the more powerful WP - 13B turbojet engines , improved avionics and the improved Type 1471 Pulse Doppler fire control radar with look - down / shoot - down capability and a range of new operating modes . With the radar upgrade comes the ability to fire the PL - 11 and the PL - 12 / SD - 10 MRAAM which employs an Active Radar Homing ( ARH ) seeker . The J - 8H also is equipped with IFR probe , INS / GPS , HOTAS , integrated ECM suite , with twin wing fences on each side of the wings that greatly increased handling ability . The J - 8Ds heavier airframe is used but with modified wing fences . Production of the J - 8H and the J - 8D it had superseded has now ceased in favor of upgrading earlier J - 8D aircraft to J - 8H standards . It is uncertain if the older J - 8B will be upgraded to J - 8H standards given the difference in airframe . The J - 8F is the most modern and capable J - 8 variant currently in service and has been in production since 2003 . The J - 8H / F has inherited many of the improvements of the earlier J - 8C and F - 8IIM , and in some cases , has improved on them . The J - 8F features a glass cockpit , a more powerful WP - 13BII turbojet engine and enhanced Type 1492 radar for enhanced air - to - air capabilities with the PL - 12 active - radar medium range missile , full air - to - ground and air - to - sea capabilities using the AS - 17 ' Krypton ' anti - radar missile and a variety of Chinese designed precision guided laser and satellite guided bombs , making it the first true multi - role variant of the J - 8 series . The J - 8F also possesses all the avionic and electronic upgrades the J - 8H received as well . The earlier J - 8B / Ds can be easily distinguished from later J - 8H / Fs by their dark green radomes compared to the later ' s black radomes . Introduction of the more powerful WP - 14 " Kunlun " turbojet engine for the J - 8 series is planned to go under way in the coming years . The J - 8F also serves in the People ' s Liberation Army Naval Air Force as well . A notable variant of the J - 8F is the JZ - 8F which has quietly been introduced into the PLAAF in the tactical reconnaissance role . Very little information has been released on the JZ - 8F , other than the use of an internal camera compartment replacing the twin 23 mm cannon rather than a camera pod used by the older JZ - 8 . In 1988 , one J - 8II airframe was converted into the J - 8ACT an experimental fly - by - wire testbed for the J - 10 program . The J - 8ACT had a shorter fueslage and a pair of canards were affixed to the side of each intake and replaced older FBW technological demonstrators based on the older Shenyang J - 6 and J - 8I airframes . To date , no plans for a twin - seat J - 8 design have been announced . Soviet connection . The J - 8 project was made possible largely due to the transfer of MiG - 21 technology from the Soviet Union in 1961 . However , this aircraft lacked the speed , range , altitude , and radar capability the PLAAF needed in an all - weather interceptor . The nascent Chinese jet aircraft industry was established mostly with Soviet assistance and Chinese designers followed Soviet design methodology for the J - 8 . A Soviet experimental aircraft known as the Ye - 152 " Flipper " with similar configuration may have influenced the J - 8 layout , as did the Sukhoi Su - 15 ' Flagon - A ' airframe . Operational history . There are currently over 300 J - 8s of all types serving in the People ' s Liberation Army Air Force and People ' s Liberation Army Naval Air Force . The J - 8 is expected to be superseded by modern Chengdu J - 10 and J - 11 variants in the coming years . April 2001 incident . On 1 April 2001 , a Chinese J - 8D fighter jet collided with a US EP - 3 reconnaissance aircraft flying over disputed waters about south of China . The EP - 3 crew was forced to make an emergency landing on China ' s Hainan Island ; according to Chinese officials , the pilot of the J - 8D , Wang Wei , ejected , but he was never found and is presumed dead . American reconnaissance crews had been intercepted many times before , in some instances the interceptors flew as close as ten meters away from the American surveillance aircraft . The crew of 24 Americans was eventually allowed to return home on 11 April . The American aircraft was not returned for another 3 months . By early 2011 , there are still about 300 Chinese J - 8s in service . Specifications ( F - 8 IIM ) . Armament 6 under wing and one centerline hard points for fuel , bombs , rockets or missiles : 4 PL - 2 or PL - 7 and one 800 litre drop tank , 2 PL - 2 or PL - 7 and 2 x 480 litre drop tanks and one 800 litre drop tank