The FTC-2000G, a new multirole combat aircraft developed by State-owned defense¹ giant Aviation Industry Corp of China, made its debut² flight in Guizhou province's Anshun on Friday morning.

 

中国航空工业公司研发的新型多用途战斗机FTC-2000G周五上午在贵州安顺首次亮相。
 

 

A yellow FTC-2000G took off at Anshun Huangguoshu Airport and flew for about 10 minutes amid thick clouds. More than 1,000 people, including AVIC executives, provincial³ leaders as well as ambassadors and military attaches from several nations, took part in the ceremony.

 

FTC-2000G, designed and built by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, an AVIC subsidiary, is a fixed-wing, multirole combat plane mainly tasked with airstrikes against ground targets. It can also be used as a fighter jet or trainer aircraft, according to AVIC.

 

Information from AVIC shows the twin-seat plane is a modified version of an advanced training jet that has been deployed⁴ by the Chinese Air Force and Navy. It has a maximum speed of Mach 1.2, or 1,470 kilometers per hour, a maximum takeoff weight of 11 metric tons, a maximum flight range of 2,400 km, and an operational flight ceiling of 15 km. 

 

Equipped with modern radar⁵ and fire-control systems, it is capable of staying airborne for three hours in a single operation and can carry as much as three tons of missiles, rockets or bombs, according to the company.

 

As a light-duty attack aircraft or fighter jet, FTC-2000G is able to replace old models fielded by developing countries such as China's J-7 and the former Soviet⁶ Union's Mig-21. In the role of trainer aircraft, it can replace China's FT-7 or British BAE Systems Hawk⁷, and can work with AVIC's K-8 intermediate jet to form an advanced training systems for military pilots.

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