Nanchang Q-5 (Fantan) (2024)

Nanchang Q-5 (Pantan) History

As long-time users of Soviet equipment, the Chinese already mass-produce Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 "Peasant" twin-engine jet fighters locally, such as the Shenyang J-6. It was soon believed that the F-6 should be modified to play a combat role, and the Nanchang Q-5 "Pan Exploration" series of aircraft was born. The basic MiG-19 form remained in the Shenyang F-6, but some modifications were of course required in order to redesign the latter into an attack role. These include a new nose for the attack radar, as well as split air intakes along the sides of the fuselage for the nose air intake MiG-19 design. An internal bomb bay was also installed.

On the whole, however, the rear fuselage and wings remain virtually unchanged in the new Chinese effort.

Shenyang designed a new fighter version of the F-6 in March 1958. However, their facilities are mainly focused on the modernization of the existing MiG-15 and the serial production of the MiG-17 and MiG-19.

Chinese authorities have placed the development of the new aircraft in Nanchang, with Shenyang still playing an important role. So far, Nanchang has had some experience producing MiG-19 variants, but mostly related to light transports and piston-engine trainers.

Development resumed in August 1958, and the prototype - designated as the Powerhouse 5 - began. The design brought together engineers from Shenyang and Nanchang Group, starting with the MiG 19.

The basic MiG-19 airframe was modified to include two side-mounted air intakes for the introduction of a twin-engine design. The original jet's nose air intake will be capped with a nose cone assembly that will house advanced attack radar and avionics.

The airframe is now zone controlled to reduce inherent drag at supersonic and supersonic speeds. The nose landing gear has been modified to fold laterally under the co*ckpit floor. The wings have been redesigned with a smaller swept than the MiG-19 design, while anti-flutter attachments have been added to the horizontal stabilizers. The area of ??a single vertical tail has been increased to improve stability.

The Soviet-era fighter jet design has now evolved into a distinctly Chinese product, with the completed model being built and sent to Beijing for testing in October 1958. A prototype was finally completed in 1960, and wind tunnel testing revealed some shortcomings that required revisions to the chart design.

In 1961, due to economic difficulties, the rapidly developing program and official work on new attack aircraft ceased. The 300-person design team disbanded and the project was shelved for the near future.

Despite this action, 15 members of the original team continued to work on the project during this period in an attempt to develop the aircraft. The program was reinstated and development resumed in 1963. On June 4, 1965, the aircraft flew for the first time and successfully completed its first test flight. Additional evaluations forced revisions to several key systems and production of two additional airworthy prototypes. The completed design was finally put into mass production in late 1969.

In 1970, she officially served in the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army, and her delivery was imminent. Since then, production has delivered around 1,300 prototypes, including those used by foreign armed forces in Bangladesh, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan and Sudan. Pakistan used this model until 2010.

The export version was designated "A-5". The Q-5 was given the NATO report name "Pan Exploration" after it was identified as a new Chinese product.

While the Q-5's new nose cone assembly was designed to accommodate the new attack radar, the system was never installed on the main production model.

Base Q-5 is run by one crew member. Retaining most of the basic shape of the MiG-19, except for the new nose and relocated air intakes, it bears a striking resemblance to the Republic F-105 Riesling. The front profile of the fuselage is elongated with rounded edges. The co*ckpit is located behind the nose assembly and has a thick frame under the two-piece canopy.

Visibility is limited due to the bulging spine of the fuselage. Air intakes span the sides of the co*ckpit, drawing in a twin-engine configuration deeply embedded in the middle of the fuselage. Wings are mid-mounted components with high sweep along their leading and trailing edges, designed to carry most of the external weapons load.

Large boundary layer fences along the tops of the wings are consistent with Soviet-era jet designs. The rear wing is tapered to fit snugly against the engine unit and is covered by a large exhaust ring. The stern is characterized by its single large vertical fin, as well as a pair of horizontal fins. Ventral struts (flatter than those on the MiG-19) are also found along the lower rear of the fuselage. The landing gear is fully retractable and consists of two main gear legs and a front leg.

All legs are single-wheeled, with the main leg retracted on the underside of each wing, towards the centerline of the fuselage, while the nasal bones are retracted forward under the co*ckpit floor. At rest, the design has a distinct "co*cked" appearance.

Pilots are provided with ejection seats to ensure safe ejection at any altitude and speed. Basic internal fuel storage consists of three front and two rear fuel tanks, supplemented by external fuel tanks and an internal bomb bay, which is converted to internal fuel storage.

Power for the Q-5 is provided by a twin-engine unit consisting of 2 x Liming Wopen-6A (Wopen-6) afterburner turbojet units. These engines are Chinese replicas of the Soviet Mikulin RD-9BF turbojet, with 5,732 pounds of thrust, a top speed of 752 mph (Mach 1.12 above sea level) and a range of 1,200 miles - not to mention a full combat load in the case of. The climb rate is 20,300 feet per minute and the service ceiling is approximately 54,000 feet. In terms of performance, the Q-5 exhibits most of the low-level capabilities of the previous MiG-19, although - based on fuselage edits and additions - high altitude performance suffers, which is to be expected. A drag parachute was initially installed on the tail to help shorten the landing sequence.

The unit was eventually moved to the tailgate base.

The Q-5 is equipped with a standard internal artillery arrangement, including 2 x Norinco Type 23-2K artillery systems (instead of the MiG-19's original 30mm mounts), each mounted on each buried leading edge wing 100 rounds. root. The original production Q-5 had six hardpoints and an internal weapons bay, while later models saw as many as ten hardpoints and ditched the internal bomb bay for fuel.

Two underwing positions are also provided for external fuel tanks, and these appear to be standard equipment on all future Q-5 ammunition loadings to compensate for the aircraft's inherent short range when carrying a full combat load. In addition to the standard cannon armament, the Q-5 can also be armed with a variety of air-to-air missiles (mainly used for short-range self-defense), rocket pods (unguided types of various calibers), and dropped bombs - initially only conventional, but A laser-guided version was later introduced.

Of course, the Q-5's weapon delivery capabilities have evolved over time to accept more modern weapon types.

The original production model, simply referred to as the "Q-5", had six weapon mounts (including an internal bomb bay) for carrying various ammunition. Subsequently, limited production of the Q-5A variant provided nuclear payload capability in a sunken fuselage that fit under the aircraft.

In January 1972, one such aircraft was used in a test to drop an atomic bomb. Naval versions of the Q-5 were also developed and incorporated a radar system for ranging, but these also saw limited production.

By 1976, it became increasingly apparent that the Q-5 had extremely limited range when fully loaded. As such, the Q-5I was developed from the production Q-5A, with its internal weapons bays eliminated and replaced by larger internal fuel reservoirs for significantly improved range. The chassis was also revised and a Type 1 ejection seat was installed. The tow tube distributor was moved from the empennage to the empennage base, while the Wopen WP-6A series turbojets were introduced for better performance.

The first Q-5I prototype flew for the first time in late 1980.

The evolution of the Nanchang Q-5 is not over yet. The Q-5I was further developed in the production Q-5IA, resulting in an improved navigation kit, an integrated laser rangefinder, and weapon sights that allowed a greater angle of attack.

After the 360-degree radar early warning receiver coverage system was launched, electronic countermeasures were further strengthened. Overall, the Q-5's operational range has increased, its ammunition-carrying capacity expanded to produce a more powerful fighter, and its runway requirements have been significantly reduced.

The Q-5I production model will continue to represent the Chinese Air Force's primary Q-5 service model and eventual Q-5 brand.

The Chinese Navy took an interest in the Q-5 and acquired a naval version of the Q-5II. It comes with radar warning receiver protection to warn pilots of incoming enemy threats, as well as an overhauled laser rangefinder and a new aiming device to improve the accuracy of weapon delivery. The co*ckpit has been raised for a better vantage point, while the nose cone assembly has been angled further down to improve nose visibility.

The Q-5II is authorized to deploy anti-ship torpedoes for its dedicated maritime strike role.

The Q-5IA was modernized to become the Q-5III, which included an inertial navigation system (originated in China) and a head-up display comparable to Western equivalents. Weapon pylons have been upgraded and avionics have been upgraded to new standards. The Q-5 is also now a modular weapons platform capable of accommodating Chinese and Western weapons systems. Nanchang was awarded the official development contract in April 1981 and produced three prototypes.

The Q-5III was approved for mass production in January 1983 and delivered to the air forces of Bangladesh, Myanmar, North Korea and Pakistan. It is worth noting, however, that the production version of the Q-5III is for export customers only (designated A-5C) and is not officially listed in the PLA Air Force's inventory.

The Q-5IV (also known as "Q-5D") is a significantly modified form of the Q-5 with improved radar warning receivers and digital processing. A new HUD and laser rangefinder were also introduced. The Q-5A has increased external weapons carrying capacity by introducing more pylons (there are now eight), which allow the aircraft to defend itself with air-to-air missiles while also carrying strike loads.

The Q-5D is an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) transformation model, not to be confused with the Q-5D attack model variant. The Q-5IV was further developed into the Q-5E and received facilities to manage laser-guided munitions. A new GPS-based navigation system has also come online, as well as self-determination of enemy ground targets - aircraft no longer need to be determined from another allied source.

The Q-5J is a two-seater development designed for pilot training and forward air control (FAC) duties, featuring an all-new co*ckpit layout, canopy unit and communications transmission suite.

The Q-5M export model (A-5M) with a different nose design was supposed to be equipped with Italian-based avionics, but the project was shelved after Tiananmen Square. In this project, Nanchang will work with Aeritalia to introduce a new avionics suite, two additional underwing pylons, an Integrated Identification Friend Friend (IFF) system, a ranging radar, an upgraded HUD and a Inertial Navigation System. Two prototypes have been completed, although one was lost in the accident.

The first flight took place on August 30, 1988.

Likewise, the Q-5K "Airlift" took the existing Q-5II variant and - with French support - attempted to modernize the Q-5 production line. Thompson-CSF will join Nanchang and integrate new avionics, a nose-mounted laser rangefinder, a new inertial navigation system and an improved HUD.

These will be distinguished by their chiseled noses. However, this initiative was shelved after the Tiananmen Square Incident in 1989. Two prototypes were actually built, but were never further developed due to the subsequent arms embargo against China.

Both the Q-5M and Q-5K prototypes were tested against each other, and the data collected during these trials is believed to be used for domestic modernization efforts related to the recent Q-5 development.

Either way, by 2000 the Q-5 was being developed as an export model, and these efforts led to the production of the A-5 form. These were shipped to North Korea. Myanmar received A-5Bs based on the Q-5II series with Western-ready weapons delivery units.

Bangladesh and Pakistan delivered the A-5C, which included a growing number of Western features, including weapons deliveries, dashboards and Martin-Baker Mk 10 "Zero Zero" ejection seats.

Hongdu led the development of a special attack variant known as the "Q-5D". This form factor significantly improves the laser rangefinder and targeting system, as well as improved co*ckpit functionality with an overhauled HUD, chaff/flare splitter and TV/FLIR support.

This version also uses laser-guided bombs.

As of this writing, the Myanmar Air Force still has about 20 A-5C variants in service, while the Bangladesh Air Force has fewer than 10 in service. It is unclear how many Fantans serve in the North Korean or Sudanese air forces.

Pakistan used the A-5C production models extensively in three squadrons (No.7, No.16 and No.26) from 1983 to 2010, eventually abandoning them in favor of the more advanced JF-17" Thunder "--Joint China-Pakistan multirole fighter based on the Western Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon.