The Chinese Air Force continues to be strengthened by the arrival of modern fighter jets from generation 4.5 (Chengdu J-10 and Shenyang J-11) and generation 5 (Chengdu J-20), and when new fighters arrive, the status of old fighter jets will be gradually retired. One of the fighters to be retired is the Chengdu J-7 Fishcan, which in its export version is known as the F-7 Airguard.
Quoting from the Global Times (29/1/2023), it is stated that the Chinese Air Force will retire its entire fleet of J-7 fighter jets by 2023. With the Chinese aviation industry building sophisticated fighter jets with high acceleration, the Chinese Air Force has begun to retire the J -7 starting in 2018.
First flown on January 17, 1966, the Chengdu J-7 was the first supersonic fighter jet developed by China and could reach speeds of Mach 2. The Chengdu J-7 was included in the second generation fighter category. By the Chinese military, the J-7 is used by the air force and naval aviation.
“China's new aircraft production capacity has increased, and the number of J-7 fighter jets remaining in active service is now low, said Chinese military expert Du Wenlong.
The J-7 design significantly contributed to China's air defense, and many variants including the Guizhou JL-9 trainer jet were developed based on the J-7. An interesting fact is that this fighter jet produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation is selling well in the markets of countries with tight pockets.
Produced from 1965 to 2013, no less than 2,400 J-7 units have been produced. Apart from being used by the Chinese Air Force, the biggest users of the F-7 are Bangladesh and North Korea.
Apart from that, the J-7 is currently still in service with Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Previously, Albania and Iraq were also F-7 operators.
Even though it has been retired, this aircraft is not necessarily scrap, the retired J-7 is used for training and testing, or it can be modified into a drone and play a new role in modern warfare. The Chengdu J-7 is known to be among the Chinese military aircraft seen flying near the island of Taiwan in exercises in June 2021.
Historically, the Chengdu J-7 was a variant of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 which was licensed by China from the Soviet Union. On March 30, 1962, the Soviet Union and China signed a technology transfer agreement relating to the MiG-21.
The aircraft is armed with infrared guided short-range air-to-air missiles and is primarily designed for short-range air-to-air combat. This fighter jet is also used for close air support.
In 2013, production of the J-7 was halted following the delivery of 16 F-7BGI to the Bangladesh Air Force.
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