The Guizhou JL-9, also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle (), is a family of two-seat supersonic

advanced jet trainer A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

and light combat aircraft developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Import/Export Company (GAIEC) for the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

(PLAAF) and the

People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force The People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF; ) is the naval aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Overview Historically, the PLANAF's main role has been to provide the navy's warships with air defense coverage. Part of ...

(PLANAF).

Development

The FTC-2000 started as a GAIEC private venture to develop an inexpensive trainer for fourth generation aircraft. The trainer was revealed at the 2001

China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () or Zhuhai Airshow (), is the largest airshow and aerospace trade expo in China. It has been held in even years in Zhuhai, Guangdong since 1996. Hist ...

. The aircraft are reported to be produced at a GAIC assembly line in

Anshun Anshun () is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Guizhou province, southwest China, near the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the tallest in China. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 2,297,339. The city proper had a population of 7 ...

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

. The FTC-2000, as the JL-9, competed with the

Hongdu JL-10 The Hongdu JL-10, also initially known as Hongdu L-15 Falcon, is a supersonic advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft developed by Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation (HAIC). It is used by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) ...

to meet the advanced trainer requirements of the PLAAF and PLANAF. The JL-10 is more technologically advanced, but also more expensive, than the JL-9. In 2013, both had entered production. A carrier-landing trainer variant was revealed by Chinese state media in 2011. Designated the JL-9G, it has strengthened undercarriage, enlarged wing and diverterless supersonic inlets, but has proved to be unsuitable for arrested landings and is limited to land-based operations. On 5 September 2018, Chinese state-run

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

reported that GAIC had begun mass production of the FTC-2000G variant. On 28 September it was reported that the first mass-produced FTC-2000G performed its maiden flight. In April 2020, China reported that an unnamed South-East Asian country had placed an order for the FTC-2000G, with deliveries expected between 2021 and 2023.

Design

The FTC-2000 is developed from the JJ-7/FT-7, the two seat trainer version of

Chengdu J-7 The Chengdu J-7 (Chinese: 歼-7; third generation export version F-7; NATO reporting name: Fishcan) is a People's Republic of China fighter aircraft. It is a license-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, and thus shares many si ...

; the Chengdu J-7 is a Chinese variant of

Mig-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...

. The FTC-2000 uses a new wing, a forward fuselage with side air intakes, and a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

; the engine,

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

, and mechanical controls of the JJ-7/FT-7 are retained.

Operational history

The PLANAF had a regiment of JL-9s in 2014. The PLAAF began using the JL-9 for training on 18 October 2015.

Variants

*FTC-2000: Original model and export designation. *FTC-2000G: The FTC-2000G is a dual seat light combat aircraft/

lead-in fighter trainer A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

. It is one of the cheapest light fighters on the market with the aim to replace old legacy fighters like the J-7/F-7 and Mig-21. It has 7

hardpoint A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...

s. It also features a

diverterless supersonic inlet A diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) is a type of jet engine air intake used by some modern combat aircraft to control air flow into their engines. It consists of a "bump" and a forward-swept inlet cowl, which work together to divert boundary ...

. It made its first flight in September 2018. Compared to the FTC-2000 trainer variant, the FTC-2000G is heavier, has maximum speed of only Mach 1.2 due to new wing design, and has less endurance than the FTC-2000. The aircraft can carry maximum 3 tons of weaponry. *JL-9: Initial PLA variant. *JL-9G: PLANAF carrier-trainer variant.''NEWS - Asia & Australasia'', Air International, August 2011, p. 16. It is a modified JL-9 for

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

training. It is designed for ski-jump ramp takeoffs and simulated

arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

landings (land-based).''COVERT AFFAIR'' A. Mladenov, Air International, March 2013, p. 93 and includes a

tailhook A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea ...

Operators

Current operators

* **

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force ( my, တပ်မတော် (လေ), ), known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception ha ...

— six delivered (unknown number ordered) * **

Sudanese Air Force The Sudanese Air Force ( ar, القوّات الجوّيّة السودانيّة, Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya As-Sudaniya) is the air force operated by the Republic of the Sudan. As such it is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces. History The Sudanese A ...

— six

Specifications (FTC-2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guizhou Jl-9

JL-9 The Guizhou JL-9, also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle (), is a family of two-seat supersonic Trainer (aircraft)#Advanced training, advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft developed by the Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation, Guizho ...

Single-engined jet aircraft Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Carrier-based aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2003