- Yes
- No
Background
Spoiler
In March of 1958, the recently established 112th Factory Design Office put forth a proposal to collaborate with Soviet experts in order to develop a light fighter aircraft. The maximum Mach number for this aircraft is approximately 1.4. During the months of May and June, the design departments of Factory 112 and Factory 410 engaged in discussions regarding the development of higher-speed fighters. In August 1958, the Fourth Bureau of the First Aircraft Ministry organized a technical meeting at the 112 Factory, in line with the requirements of the Air Force. During this meeting, a design plan was presented with the aim of catching up to the world’s advanced standards, and it was decided to increase the Mach number of the aircraft design for the 104 fighter to 1.8. The altitude requirement for the service ceiling was increased to 20,000 meters. Two engines, known as
Hongqi No. 2, which were designed and developed by 410 Factory, were planned to be installed. Consequently, the aircraft underwent a name change and was now referred to as Dongfeng 107.
The trial production of the Dongfeng 107 was unsuccessful, leading to its discontinuation. In September 1958, a review meeting for the Dongfeng 113 fighter program took place in Beijing. During the meeting, Factory 112 representatives proposed to continue developing the Dongfeng 107. Despite a heated debate, Huang Kecheng ultimately decided to allocate 60 million yuan for the development of both aircraft. However, Chen Tai objected to the simultaneous development of the two planes, arguing that it would hinder the achievement of either one. Peng Dehuai adopted this viewpoint, enforcing Huang Kecheng’s conclusion. Consequently, the report presented by the Central Military Commission to the Central Committee solely focused on the progress of a new fighter aircraft called Dongfeng 113, without mentioning the development of the Mach 1.8 fighter, Dongfeng 107. Due to the impressive performance of the Dongfeng 113, the maximum Mach number of the Dongfeng 107 aircraft was raised to 2. In 1958, the 112 factory manufactured a complete wooden model of the Dongfeng 107 and sent it to Beijing for evaluation.
In August, Factory 112 successfully manufactured the Dongfeng 107. Despite facing some controversy during the review meeting, Liu Yalou made the decision to proceed with the trial production of the Dongfeng 107 and obtained approval from the National Aviation Product Trial Production Group. In November, the research and development system of the National Aviation Product Trial Production Group was officially approved. By December, Factory 112 had completed the production pattern design of the Dongfeng 107.
Having made preparations for the trial production of the Dongfeng 107, Factory 112 commenced full-scale production after receiving approval from higher authorities. The manufacturing of process equipment began from September to October 1958. In January 1959, all the trial production drawings for the Dongfeng 107 were released.
Subsequently, in February 1959, the design drawings of the Dongfeng 107 aircraft were sent to the Soviet Union for consultation, and aerodynamic tests were conducted there. The advisory opinion was presented, indicating that the design of the movable wing with variable-angle-of-attack and the choice of the aircraft’s engine were deemed unreasonable. The primary concern was the instability of the variable-angle-of-attack wing, as well as the underestimation of resistance, resulting in inadequate performance and a maximum flight speed of Mach 1.8 instead of the desired Mach 2. To address these issues, it is recommended to utilize a fixed delta wing with a significant sweep angle to ensure stability. Technical consultations were held approximately eight times, concluding in September 1959. Following the report to the Fourth Bureau in June, Minister Zhao Erlu approved the decision to halt the trial production of “Dongfeng” 107 in August. However, the design modifications and the ongoing trial production of the engine persisted.
Following the decision made by the Fourth Bureau to halt the trial production of the aircraft, the Dongfeng 107 had accumulated 110-178 hours of trial production work and incurred a cost of 2.186 million yuan. Subsequently, after the issuance of trial production drawings in January 1959, the design office spent the months from February to May reviewing and revising the drawings. The aircraft had a Mach number of 1.8 and a ceiling of 20,000 meters. In May, the revised Dongfeng 107A drawings were released. The preliminary design phase was finalized in October 1959. Due to challenges in completing the planned Hongqi No. 2 engine, the trial production was ceased in August. The Design Office of Factory 112 then proceeded to modify and design the Dongfeng 107S, equipped with the RD-95 Test Engine. In September 1959, the tactical reconnaissance aircraft Dongfeng 107Z was designed as per the decision of the 112 Factory Party Committee. It also served as a test aircraft for the Dongfeng 107A. Subsequently, the transitional aircraft Dongfeng 107J (training aircraft) and others were designed, but none of these plans reached the trial production stage. In December 1959, a meeting was held by the Fourth Bureau with the heads of factories 112 and 410 to focus efforts on accelerating the trial production of Dongfeng 113, leading to the termination of the development work of Dongfeng 107 as instructed by Liu Yin, deputy director of the First Ministry of Machinery.
Technical Data
Specifications
Crew - 1 Pilot
Length - 19 m
Height - 5.3 m
Wingspan - 8.48 m
Gross Weight - 13,424 kg
Internal Fuel Tank - 3000 kg of fuel.
Engine - (Planned) 2 x Hong Qui-2 Turbojet Engines, (4,200 kgf dry, 6460 kgf wet.) [WP-6 Derivative]
Max Speed - Mach 1.8 - (Projected) 2.4
Service Ceiling - 20,800 m
Rate of Climb - (Projected) 200 m/s
Range - 1,280 km
Armament
2 x 30mm 30-1 Cannons (60 Rounds Each)
4 x K-5M Beam-Riding AAM’s (Dual Mount on Wing Pylon)
Images
Spoiler
Sources
Spoiler
(Book) Encyclopedia of Chinese Aircraft, Vol.3 (Page 34-35)