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Fighter aircraft China flagChina

Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC)

JH-7A

A twin-seat, twin-engine fighter-bomber developed jointly by Xian and Hongdu for the PLA Air Force and Navy, optimized for maritime strike with anti-ship missiles. It has largely replaced older Chinese bomber types in the anti-shipping role.

In service since 1998 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

1,808

km/h

3,700

km range

16,000

m ceiling

9,000

kg payload

Several performance figures for China-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Chinese state channel

State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.

Channel: State export agency

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1998. Status: active · ~270 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the JH-7A can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed

Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.

1,808 km/h
Stronger than 13% of fighters
Max speed (Mach)

Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.

1.75 Mach
Stronger than 19% of fighters
Range

Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.

3,700 km
Stronger than 76% of fighters
Combat radius

Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.

1,650 km
Top 6% of fighters
Service ceiling

Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.

16,000 m
Stronger than 43% of fighters

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament

Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.

1x 23 mm twin-barrel cannon
Hardpoints

External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.

9
Stronger than 47% of fighters
Weapons payload

Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.

9,000 kg
Stronger than 82% of fighters

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length

Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.

22.32 m
Wingspan

Wingtip-to-wingtip span.

12.8 m
Height

Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.

6.22 m
Empty weight

Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.

14,500 kg
Combat weight

Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.

21,500 kg
Crew

Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.

2

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine

Powerplant model and type.

2x Xian WS-9 (Rolls-Royce Spey derivative) turbofans
Engines

Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.

2
Thrust

Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).

91 kN
Stronger than 40% of fighters
Propulsion type

Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…

Turbofan

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar

Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.

JL-10A pulse-Doppler radar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built

Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.

270
Stronger than 57% of fighters
Operator countries

Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.

1
Stronger than 23% of fighters

Specifications compiled from public Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the top speed of the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A has a maximum speed of 1,808 km/h.

What is the range of the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A has a maximum range of 3,700 km.

What is the weapons payload of the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A can carry up to 9,000 kg of weapons payload.

How much does the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A weigh? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A has a combat weight of 21,500 kg.

How many crew does the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A require? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A requires a crew of 2.

What is the main armament of the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A's primary weapon is the 1x 23 mm twin-barrel cannon.

What engine does the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A use? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A is powered by the 2x Xian WS-9 (Rolls-Royce Spey derivative) turbofans.

What is the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A used for? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A is a fighter aircraft typically used for deep strike, multirole combat.

How many countries operate the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A? +

The Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A cost? +

Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) JH-7A: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.

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