A-5C | The History of the Export Fantan

The A-5C (Q-5III/强-5III), NATO reporting name: Fantan, is the export version of the Nanchang Q-5 during the early days of China’s paid military sales in the 1980s. China was in desperate need of funding after economic reforms, and since previous aircraft exports were essentially given as aid rather than sales, military factories were also searching for a means to generate funds for their new projects.

The demand for an export Q-5 originally came from Pakistan, which decided to expand its air force with more attackers following previous losses in war and concerns about the menacing Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Due to its impressive performance at low altitudes and relatively affordable price, the Q-5 was chosen as one of the new attackers for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). However, these jets needed to be upgraded with Western avionics and weapons to ensure logistical compatibility. The new jet, known as the A-5C in PAF service, began production in the early 1980s and was exported to several countries across the Afro-Eurasian continent.

History of the Q-5

Initial Designs

Designed to meet a 1950s requirement for a subsonic attack aircraft, the Q-5's (强-5/Qiáng-5) history began in 1955 when the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) began to look for a replacement for their aging IL-10 aircraft. The project began as a proposal made by PLAAF commanders in April 1958 to create a fighter aircraft derived from the Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19) that would be superior, with intakes on each side of the fuselage. Assigned to the Shenyang Aircraft Design Department (State Factory 112), the project was then reworked into an attack aircraft later that year in August, designated “雄鹰302” (“Mighty Eagle 302”) and codenamed “东风106” (“East Wind 106”/DF-106).

Later that month in August, Shenyang, alongside students of the Shenyang Aviation Institute, presented the first design concepts of the project. However, the project was then assigned to the Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC). The Nanchang factory (previously State Factory 320), and NAMC itself, were subsidiaries of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). And thus, the responsibility fell upon Nanchang to begin the project of creating an attack aircraft derivative of the F-6/MiG-19, now designated the Q-5.

Nanchang completed a full size wooden prototype in 1958, which was then sent to Beijing and approved. Work finally began on the project, with Nanchang finishing the first full set of drawings in February 1959. However, these some 15,000 pages of documents and drawings had many flaws, as exposed by wind tunnel tests. This was followed by a full revision, with the 20,000 page final version being completed in May 1960. The program was then put on hold indefinitely in 1961 due to instability in the political environment, financial hardship, and poor quality of materials, but was kept alive by a small team of Chinese aeronautical engineers and defence personnel led by the directors of the Nanchang factory, before resuming officially in 1963.

The first aircraft that would be used for static tests was assembled later that year in June, but it would not last long. During its first test, a 16mm steel cable was replaced by two 8mm steel cables. This resulted in the test airframe failing under 85% load, snapping the fuselage in two.

Q-5 Prototype Development and Mass Production

In January 1964, Nanchang began work on two full scale Q-5 prototypes, with the second being completed a year later in January 1965. The first prototype, piloted by test pilot Tuo Fenming, embarked on its first flight later that year on 4 June 1965 and was successful. This marked a massive milestone, and the preliminary design was finalized in December. Further development on prototypes would follow, starting with the third, the cannons were relocated to the wing roots. From 1968–1969, the PLAAF tested the Q-5 rigorously, putting forward over 40 suggestions and changes. Nanchang revised the design again and restarted production, creating two updated prototypes that were finished and flying by October 1969.

Testing continued on these new prototypes, and by December 1969, mass production was approved for the Q-5, a whole 10 years and four months after the design process had started. The Q-5 was produced at the specification of the prototype up until 1979, with a total of 515 aircraft produced.

Further Developments

Development continued and the Q-5IA model with pressure refueling and increased capabilities to carry bombs and rockets began tests in 1979. The Q-5IA entered service in the mid-1980s, and was subsequently followed by the Q-5B, including improved gun and bomb sights, a laser rangefinder, and radar warning receiver (RWR).

The A-5 was originally an improved export version of the 1976 Q-5I. It was flight tested in late 1980 and certified for production on 20 October 1981. However, keen to win further orders, Nanchang offered the Q-5IA for export as the A-5C, incorporating 32 modifications onto the Q-5I. These upgrades made it comparable to a Q-5III.

History of the A-5C

Pakistan Air Force Procurement and A-5C Development

In mid-1979, Egypt became Nanchang’s first overseas customer with orders of new jets and engines. Meanwhile, Pakistan had concluded that the main culprit for the loss of the 3rd Indo-Pakistan War was because of the lack of a dedicated ground attacker, and in fear of possible assaults from the USSR via Afghanistan, they were in dire need for a new aircraft to fill this role.

In 1980, Pakistan sent 2 teams of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) staff to the Nanchang Aircraft Corporation’s Factory 320 to inspect the Q-5 and participate in test flights. Upon completion of the tests, it was concluded that the Q-5, specifically the Q-5IA at the time, would be a fair option, and the PAF ordered 52 aircraft. Pakistan deemed it worthy as an attacker with its low-altitude performance and price, but it was also requested that the aircraft first be upgraded with Western avionics, ejection seats and compatibility with weaponry such as western IR AAMs like the Matra R.550 Magic 1.

Starting in 1981, Nanchang Factory 320 completed the first prototypes, with 3 in total built by 1982. In total, 32 modifications were made. Compared to the Q-5IA, the A-5C had the following:

• An improved engine and fuel injection systems
• Redesigned hardpoints that could mount standard NATO bombs, rockets, and French Matra or American Sidewinder air-to-air missiles
• More advanced electronic equipment including radios, and identification, friend or foe (IFF) devices
• Improved avionics, including altimeters and landing gear systems

The first three prototypes embarked on their maiden flights on September 7th, 1982 piloted by Wu Yongqing, marking the beginning of the 101 hours and 37 minutes of flight time they would accrue. In total, the development cycle of the A-5C would take 1 year and 9 months.

The newly designated A-5C was delivered to the PAF from early 1983 to 1984, with 41 delivered in 1983, and 13 delivered in 1984, a total of 54 over the two year period. The aircraft would go on to equip the No. 16 “Black Panthers” and No. 26 “Black Spiders” Squadrons of the 36th Wing of the PAF, along with the No. 7 “Bandits” Squadron of the 32nd Wing.

Some of the aircraft were retired as early as 1999, with some being lost in training incidents or due to technical errors in flight, and as of mid-1999 only 49 remained in service. Pakistan would purchase 6 more A-5Cs, later acquired in 2003 to replace those lost. These 6 aircraft would include some improvements such as

• The addition of a GPS-100 global positioning system
• An upgraded GT-1 flare and chaff dispenser 
• A BMKJ-8602 omnidirectional radar warning system
• An AA-3 laser altimeter
• A new Mk. 10 ejection seat. 

The remaining A-5C aircraft would be kept in commission until mid-2011, when the more advanced JF-17 “Thunder” — a joint Chinese-Pakistani multi-role combat aircraft, replaced them as a multi-role fighter.

Additional Foreign Operators and Variants

The A-5C, alongside other variants of the export vehicle, has seen service with the air forces of Bangladesh, Sudan, and Myanmar, with some sources even claiming service with North Korea.

As the A-5C performed well with the Pakistani Air Force, the Bangladeshi Air Force decided to purchase 16 A-5Cs in February 1986. These aircraft would be further upgraded with slight improvements and known as the A-5CA (Q-5IIIA), including a replaced engine and radio, and minor improvements to the instruments. With 8 remaining in 2013, the decision was made to retire the aircraft in November 2014.

In 1989, Sudan signed a contract with Nanchang to purchase nine A-5 aircraft. As the Sudanese Air Force (SAF) requested delivery to be as soon as possible, there were no A-5Cs finished at the time, and as such, the Q-5IIA variant would be used as a substitute, adapting systems from the A-5C. The first six aircraft were selected from existing inventory while the last three were newly produced and delivered to the SAF on 31 December 1989. In late 2003, Sudan was reported to have bought 15–20 A-5Cs, funded by Iran. As of 2019, 20 A-5s total were in operation with Sudan.

Between 1994 and 1998, Nanchang delivered 36 Q-5IIKs to the Myanmar Air Force. The Q-5IIK was based on the A-5C, with changes to the RWR, warning systems, IFF, and electrical systems. The initial order of 12 aircraft were completed in June 1994, and delivered on the 2nd of August of the same year. 12 more were delivered on September 2nd 1996 and again on February 15th 1998, bringing the total to 36 aircraft. As of 2023, 20 remain in service with the Myanmar Air Force, down from 21 in 2019.

It is unknown how many A-5s were in service with North Korea, or if they were at all. Some sources estimate that North Korea purchased 36-50 A-5s between 1970 and 1982, however none have been photographed and all have since been reportedly decommissioned.

Operational History

Modern usages of the A-5C include during the War in Darfur, beginning in 2003, where the Sudanese Air Force used the jets for ground attack. In January 2007, three Sudanese Air Force A-5Cs (registry numbers 402, 403, 410) were deployed to Nyala Airport in southern Darfur, as shown below.

The A-5 was involved in an incident that occurred in March 2015, when Myanmar Air Force A-5 jets engaged in a skirmish against the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and accidentally dropped bombs on a Chinese village in Gengma County, Yunnan, killing 4 villagers within Chinese territory.

Bibliography

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• Andersson, Hilary. “China ‘Is Fuelling War in Darfur.’” BBC News, BBC, 13 July 2008, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7503428.stm.
• Chawla, Shalini. “PAKISTAN AIR FORCE: MODERNISATION TRENDS.” Air Power, vol. 14, no. 3, summer 2019, pp. 57–80.
• Forsgren, Jan. “Jan Forsgren.” Aeroflight, 2023, www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/fleet/north-korea-af-nanchang-q-5-ia-fantan.htm.
  
• Feinberg, William. “China Summons Burmese Ambassador after Bomb Kills Four in Yunnan.” East by Southeast, ExSe, 14 Mar. 2015, www.eastbysoutheast.com/china-summons-burmese-ambassador-after-bomb-kills-four-in-yunnan/.
• Gordan, Yefim, and Dimitriy Komissarov. Chinese Aircraft — China’s aviation industry since 1951. Hikoki Publications, 2008.
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• Hoyle, Craig. “Political Powerplays.” Flight International, vol. 196, no. 5715, Dec, 2019, pp. 26-54. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/magazines/political-powerplays/docview/2327845838/se-2.
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• Rupprecht, Andreas. Modern Chinese Warplanes: Chinese Air Force — Combat Aircraft and Units. Harpia Publishing, Dec 21 2018.
• Sherman, Robert. “FANTAN A-5, Q-5 (NANCHANG).” Fantan A-5, Q-5 (Nanchang) Pakistan Aircraft Special Weapons Delivery Systems, 13 Feb. 2000, nuke.fas.org/guide/pakistan/aircraft/a-5.htm
• Wei, Gang, et al. Encyclopaedia of Chinese Aircraft Vol.3. Aviation Industry Press, 2011.

Image Attribution

All in-game images are my own, outside images allowed use with attribution

Chinese Q-5s:

• Tyg728 — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
• Patc045 — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
• Shizhao — Own work, Public Domain

Q-5 Production Line:

• San Diego Air and Space Museum Commons
• wiki.cn/飞机

Pakistan Air Force A-5Cs: © Pakistan Air Force — paf.pak.gov

Bangladesh Air Force A-5Cs:

• Shadman Samee from Dhaka, Bangladesh, CC BY-SA 2.0
• Faisal Akram — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Myanmar Air Force A-5s:

• M Radzi Desa GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons
• JHM Collection — AirHistory.net

Sudanese Air Force A-5s in Darfur:

• Amnesty International. Sudan — Arms continuing to fuel serious human rights violations in Darfur © Amnesty International 2007