PLA Air Force began phasing out J-7 fighters, replacing them with more advanced models of the next generation.
As noted in the CCTV edition, one of the air brigades, equipped with J-7, already looking forward to receiving new machines soon.
J-7 - the main aircraft in the Chinese second-generation fighter fleet
– explained in Global Times, pointing, that it has excellent flight characteristics, having a ceiling 20 thousand. meters and having a top speed of 2 Maha.
As they write in the Chinese media, J-7 can work together with its "colleagues" of the 3rd generation and AWACS aircraft, "playing a unique role in combat". In the course of many J-7 upgrades, China gained experience, allowing him to create new models, in particular the JL-9 training aircraft.
J-7 has made a great contribution to the protection of Chinese airspace
– noted in Global Times.
However, against the backdrop of the arrival of new cars (J-10, J-11, D-16 и D-20) the old model had to leave the service sooner or later. for example, J-10 has more advanced combat qualities, being able to conduct more effective air combat and at the same time having the ability to strike at ground targets. In this regard, the PLA Air Force began to write off the J-7 fighter.
A number of experts argue, that the J-7 is actually a copy of the Soviet front-line fighter MiG-21F-13. This family left the combat ranks of the Air Force of the post-Soviet states in the early 1990s., including Russia.
