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| Hongdu L-15 Falcon |
Militarymedia.net - The Hongdu L-15 Falcon made its maiden flight in 2006. Development of this aircraft was assisted by the Russian Yakovlev design bureau, making it similar to the Yak-130. This state-of-the-art trainer competes for the PLAAF's next-generation advanced trainer program against the Guizhou JL-9. The L-15 Falcon was more technologically advanced than the JL-9, but was also more expensive to manufacture. Finally in 2013 the L-15 was adopted by the Chinese air force as the JL-10. The Hongdu L-15 is also being proposed for export customers. Zambia operates 6 of these trainer aircraft. Venezuela also plans to acquire 24 of these aircraft.
The L-15 is intended to train pilots to fly high-performance fourth-generation aircraft, such as the J-10 and Su-27. It is also suitable for completing all basic jet flight training courses.
The aircraft is equipped with two Ukrainian Progress AL-222K-25F turbofan engines with afterburners. It should be noted, however, that China signed a contract with Ukraine for the delivery of 1,920 of these engines for their JL-10 trainers. Deliveries are scheduled until 2041.
The L-15 has a secondary light attack capability. It has 4 under-wing hardpoints and 3 wingtip hardpoints for various weapons, including short-range air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, bombs and rocket pods.
The aircraft has a number of advanced technologies such as digital fly-by-wire, hands on throttle and stick control. It also has good aerodynamic performance.
Hongdu L-15 Falcon Variant
- The JL-10 is the Chinese air force's official designation for the L15.
- The JL-10A is an improved version, equipped with a radar.
- The L-15B is an upgraded variant with an afterburning engine.
