J-8F
Contents
Description
The J-8F(Chinese: 歼-8F型歼击机; unified NATO codename: Finback 长须鲸) was the final combat variant of J-8 series interceptor built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC, 沈飞) from the remaining airframes of J-8II or upgraded from previous J-8D by mid-2000s . The project needs to be trace back to the J-8C (or J-8III) project for domestic avionic upgrades for J-8II; although the unreliable WP-14 engine ruin the whole project, the radar systems was tested rather successfully and marked the completion of domestic PD radar. By the end of 20th Century, the plans for Project 12 (PL-12) was also on schedule for domestic ARH AAM; thus the placeholder aircraft: J-8H with a new radar joined PLAAF with PL-11 SARH, while the J-8F with a modified radar based on the former radar and new NATO-equivalent FCS main bus finalized by 2005 and became one of the cornerstone of PLAAF until new interceptors replaced them by June 2022.
Introduced in Update "La Royale" as the first Chinese domestic jet with PD radar, J-8F featured new IR AAMs and finally supports full missile configuration for all available wing pylons; the jet is also upgraded with new engines with higher thrust and J-8II's signature differential elevators for better roll rate. Although the star of the show: its capability to launch ARH AAM has yet to make it into the game*, the new PL-8 missile and avionics will not disappoint players.
*Note: as stated in J-8F's devblog; due to the removal of a certain radar electronic, J-8F could not guide PL-11.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at _,___ m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | ___ | ___ | 16000 | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ___ |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 500 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | - |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| _____ | _ | _,___ kg | ___ kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Gross Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | ||
| ___ kg | ___ | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | ___%/WEP | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | MGW |
| Stationary | ___ kgf | ___ kgf | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Optimal | ___ kgf (_ km/h) |
___ kgf (_ km/h) |
_.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Survivability and armour
Like most jets of its era, J-8F still retained certain degree of extra protection due to its late introduction at early 2000s on a rather obsolete airframe; meanwhile some standard equipment like self-sealing tanks are still present.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The J-8F is armed with:
- A choice between two presets:
- 1 x 23 mm Type 23-3 cannon, belly-mounted (200 rpg)
- 1 x 23 mm Type 23-3 cannon + 64 x large calibre countermeasures
Suspended armament
Custom loadout options
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 90-1 rockets | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||
| 250 kg Type 250-3 bombs | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||
| 250 kg Type 250-4 bombs | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||
| 500 kg Type 500-3 bombs | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 500 kg Type 500-4 bombs | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| PL-5B missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| PL-8 missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg | ||||||||
For players who are very familiar with the loadouts on J-8B,85% (6 out of 7) of its available weaponries are identical on both jets with PL-8 (licensed Rafael Python-3) being the exception. Due to the lack of radar-guided missiles, some players might find this a huge drawback that they will have to get close enough to enemy jets to even launch IR AAMs at the first place; but PL-8 become the game-changer to J-8F, not only it has the best all-aspect locking range among NATO equivalents, J-8F is also equipped with HMD for off-bore launches; a full-loadout with 6 PL-8 can be a nightmare for enemy team if utilized carefully. The old friend PL-5B still serves as its default missiles; although it might be obsolete at its BR ranges, but careful launches on careless targets would still earn a victory on even NATO/Warsaw-Pact jets.
The ground-attack loadout is totally identical to J-8B though, with varieties of bombs and rocket at disposal; although neither the caliber nor explosive content of the Type 90-1 HEAT rocket is good for hunting down enemy MBTs even with a precise hit, they could still served as an extra card on hand alongside with its -3 series low drag GP bombs or -4 series drag chute retard bombs where the bombs would certainly be more effective against more valuable targets such as MBTs while leaving vulnerable SPAA systems for rockets, sometimes bases in case having the need for extra income.
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Rather high overall engine thrusts
- First domestic jet to equip PD radar with sufficient detection capabilities
- Equipped with HMD for off-bore launches
- 6 powerful PL-8 with very long lock-on range and high overload
- Sufficient payload for occasional ground-attack operations
- Retained the same, if not better maneuverability from J-8B
- High top speed
Cons:
- Lacks any form of radar-guided weaponries
- Rather large target due to its long airframe
- Relatively small ammo pool
- Delta wing design and its size bleeds speed serenely in maneuvers
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| China jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | J-2 · J-4 · Shenyang F-5 · J-6A · J-7II · J-7D · J-7E · J-8B · J-8F · J-11 |
| Strike aircraft | Q-5 early · Q-5A · Q-5L · A-5C · JH-7A |
| Bombers | H-5 |
| American | ␗F-84G-21-RE · ␗F-84G-31-RE · ␗F-86F-30 · ␗F-86F-40 · ␗F-100A · ␗F-100F · ␗F-104A · ␗F-104G · ␗F-5A · ␗F-5E · ␗F-16A MLU |
| Soviet | ␗MiG-9 · ␗MiG-9 (l) |
