Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12)

Lightweight Supersonic Fighter Prototype

China | 1975

"The Nanchang J-12 was a promising indigenous Chinese lightweight supersonic fighter design derailed by the arrival of the Chengdu J-7 - a local version of the Soviet MiG-21."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/06/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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The aircraft that was to become the J-12 ("Jianjiji-12") began as a requirement by the Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) in 1969 for a planned successor to the aging line of Soviet-originated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 single-seat, jet-powered fighters. The service sought a compact, lightweight form to be powered by turbojet engines and capable of short-field operations while being economical to mass produce. The Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC) (with a design brought along by Lu Xiao-Pcheng) squared off against a submission by the Shenyang company and emerged the declared winner. Three prototypes were eventually completed in the early-going and a first-flight followed on December 26th, 1970.

The Soviet design influence on the J-12 was readily apparent as the new aircraft held a general resemblance to the Soviet MiG-21 "Fishbed" fighter introduced back in 1959. The cockpit was set aft of a nose-mounted circular intake (as in the MiG-21) though "true" swept wing mainplanes were used (unlike the MiG-21's delta planform) and these mounted low along the fuselage sides. The tail unit incorporated a single vertical fin and low-mounted horizontal planes with all of these surfaces swept as well. As in the MiG-21, the J-12 featured a raised fuselage spine which restricted views to the rear of the aircraft some.

Power was from a single Wopen WP-6Z turbojet engine offering 5,512lb thrust on dry and 9,000lb thrust with reheat. The unit was the most recent incarnation at the time of the original WP-6, itself based on the Soviet Tumansky R-9BF-811 series turbojet.

Installed armament included cannons as fixed, standard weapons for close-in work and support for Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) across three available hardpoints. The cannon armament was made up of a 30mm system fitted to the portside wing root and paired with a 23mm system mounted in the starboard wingroot. Two hardpoints were featured under the wings, one per wing, and a single hardpoint was found under the fuselage.

As with any ambitious program, particularly those related to combat warplanes, the J-12 was not an immediate success as overall performance was lacking so this led to series of progressive modifications of the base design - the armament fit moved further aft, the intake revised, a lightening of the fuselage, split flaps added, etc. From this work then emerged an aircraft which took to the skies for the first time during July 1975 and resulted in a further six aircraft constructed to a pre-series standard.

The project would eventually count nine J-12 aircraft to its name made up of three prototypes and six pre-series examples.

With the arrival of the competing (and superior) Chengdu J-7 (a local Chinese version of the Soviet MiG-21), development on the J-12 was ended in January of 1977. The completed aircraft collectively accounted for over 60 hours in the air across 135 flights. As finalized, the J-12 featured a maximum speed of 810 miles per hour, a range (combat) out to 430 miles and a service ceiling up to 55,675 feet. Rate-of-climb was 35,533 feet-per-minute.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12) Lightweight Supersonic Fighter Prototype.

1 x Wopen WP-6Z afterburning turbojet engine developing 5,515lb of thrust dry and 9,000lb of thrust with reheat.
Propulsion

808 mph
1,300 kph | 702 kts
Max Speed

55,774 ft
17,000 m | 11 miles
Service Ceiling

559 miles
900 km | 486 nm
Operational Range

35,435 ft/min
10,801 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12) Lightweight Supersonic Fighter Prototype.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

33.8 ft
10.30 m
O/A Length

23.6 ft
(7.20 m)
O/A Width

12.3 ft
(3.75 m)
O/A Height

7,000 lb
(3,175 kg)
Empty Weight

9,998 lb
(4,535 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12) Lightweight Supersonic Fighter Prototype .

STANDARD (proposed):
1 x 30mm cannon in portside wing root mounting
1 x 23mm cannon in starboard wing root mounting

OPTIONAL:
Assumed Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) across the three available hardpoints (two under-wing, one under-fuselage).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12) family line.

J-12 - Base Series Designation; three prototypes and six pre-series aircraft completed.

Jianjiji-12 - Alternative Designation (long form)

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 9 Units
Contractor(s): Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (NAMC) - China

[ China (cancelled) ]

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Image of the Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12)

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Going Further...
The Nanchang J-12 (Jianjiji-12) Lightweight Supersonic Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:

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