- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #155
I would like to suggest a very nice looking tiny combat aircraft that is also used as a trainer, the Hongdu L-15A Falcon also known in China as the Hongdu JL-10
The Hongdu L-15, or designated JL-10 in the PLAAF, is a tiny advanced trainer/light attacker aircraft developed by Hongdu. the plane was produced in 2013 and offers a high flight performance and speed, the plane can also carry a rather interesting choice of suspended armament which makes this plane pretty suitable for ground attack. the plane is currently in production for China but also for export in which it already got some success amounts of a certain country. the prototype was built in 2006, and China ordered 12 aircraft in 2012. those aircraft were shown with Chinese colors in 2016 and officially put into service in 2018. 6 more were ordered by Zambie in 2014 and 12 more are being in discussion with United Arab Emirates with an option of 36 additional aircraft. the JL-10 being a sophisticated aircraft is more costly than his competitor plane, the JL-9 but allows better and faster training of the crew to fighter aircraft. the JL-10 was also capable of being used as a fighter with the capacity to carry 6 air-to-air missiles and a gun pod, but can also acted as a light attacker with a Guided bomb and unguided rocket. the plane with a radar in the nose and supersonic speed can be used in multi-role combat. while being fast, it is also capable of low speed which makes it ideal for ground targets.
As for now, China only has been confirmed to have 12 of those, but China has been pretty discrete about their armament, could possess a lot more, or have ordered more for production. it is estimated that the PLAAF has over 50 of those planes.
Firepower
The aircraft does not have any fixed armament. first of all a trainer, was offered without a cannon or anything. but it does have the possibility to carry armament. the plane has 7x confirmed harpoints (9 were initially announced) and can carry a gun-pod, Bombs, rockets, and missiles. but also certain devices as well for guiding the armament or for reconnaissance. the load can reach a total of 3000 kg which is normally sufficient for an aircraft. the list of the known armament goes as follows
Air-to-air missiles
- PL-5E II
- PL-12/SD-10 active radar-homing MRAAM
Air-to-Surface missiles
- TL-10 (YJ-5E)
- YJ-9E AShM
Unguided bomb
- 250 kg
- 250 kg x2
- 500 kg
- LT 500 kg
Guided bomb
- LS-6 GPS/INS 250 kg
- LS-6 GPS/INS 500 kg
- TL-20
Rockets
- HFD-18D
Gun pod
- 23 mm PC-2AI
While the selection is not so wide, it is pretty flexible. it allows the JL-10 to be used in pretty much any combat role. In the absence of clear data, I made a chart of the assumed position of each armament based on the pictures. I assume not every hard-points can carry all the armament available
Performance
The JL-10 has a pretty interesting flight performance. powered by two Ivchenko Progress AI-222K-25F after-burning turbofan engines. Each engine can generate 4,200kg of thrust afterburner. the plane can climb at a speed of 150 m/sec. offering a high maneuverability, it can dogfight pretty easily. A top speed of Mach 1.4 allows it to follow the fighter, and a stalling speed of 200 km/h allows it to get slow enough to maneuver close to the ground. the plane is very nimble and can give the players all the freedom of action needed.
Avionic
- The plane does possess a small PESA radar developed by the 607 Institute. this radar has a range of 75 km which is not bad at all.
- A targeting pod can be installed in place of the Gun pod to allow the plane to use the Guided bomb.
- The plane have counter measure but the quantity is unknown
- The plane does not appear to have any Radar Warning receiver making the player unable to know if there is a missile lock on you.
Sources
- http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-08/06/content_9243119.htm
- The Chinese Air Force is about to get a swarm of fighter jets for training pilots
- PLA Air Force's JL-10 trainer jet drops 500kg bombs in training exercise for the first time - Global Times
- L-15B, a wishlist and suggestion for future modules. - Deka Ironwork Simulations - ED Forums
- Chinese L-15 Fighters Will Replace Iconic MiG-23s in Ethiopia’s Air Force – Reports - Ethiopia Nege
- https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/a003zGP-Ho3ZmDzHHoQCfA
- Hongdu JL-10 - Wikipedia
- Welcome military-today.com - BlueHost.com
- https://asiatimes.com/2020/01/chinas-l-15-falcon-cut-rate-warfare-on-a-budget/
- China's New L-15 Light Attack Aircraft Aims To End American, British & Italian Dominance
- Hongdu L-15/L-15B/JL-10H Supersonic Trainer / Attack Aircraft, China | Thai Military and Asian Region
Additional pictures
