NANCHANG Q-5C - 1980

Description

The Nanchang Q-5 (NATO reporting name: Fantan), also known as the A-5 in its export versions, is a Chinese-built jet ground-attack aircraft capable of supersonic speed in level flight, which is similar to its predecessor Soviet MiG-19. However, the aircraft must be predominantly flown at subsonic speeds due to its primary role being close air support. The PRC was an enthusiastic user of the MiG-19, which it manufactured locally as the Shenyang J-6 from 1958. In August 1958 the People’s Liberation Army requested development of a jet attack aircraft for the air support role. About 1,000 aircraft were produced, 600 of them being the updated Q-5A. A small number, perhaps a few dozen, Q-5As were modified to carry nuclear weapons; these are believed to retain their internal weapons bay. A long-range Q-5I, introduced in 1983, added a fuel tank instead of the internal weapons bay, compensating for that with the provision of two additional underwing pylons. Some of these aircraft serve with the PLA Navy, and have apparently been equipped with radar to guide anti-ship missiles. Subsequent minor upgrades include the Q-5IA, with a new gun/bomb sighting system and avionics, and the Q-5II, with radar warning receiver (RWR). In the 1980s, the aircraft was exported to nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and is often known as the A-5 in those nations. Sudanese Air Force employed its A-5 attack jets during the War in Darfur.[ (Scale : 1/72e)