defense

Is China Turning Its Old Jets into Drone Fighter Jets?

According to Chinese analysts, the decommissioned J-7s will either be earmarked for training and testing, or they will be modified into drones to take on new roles in modern warfare. According to the US Popular Mechanic, CHINA is likely converting or will convert old jet fighters it has decommissioned or will decommission into unmanned jet fighters, notably the Chengdu J-7. Ironically, the J-7 and other Chinese replicas of Cold War-era Soviet aircraft may accomplish more with a pilot in the cockpit than they do with a pilot on board.

According to the Chinese press GLOBALTIMES, with the Chinese aviation industry building advanced fighter jets at an increasing pace, the country has been retiring Chengdu J-7 fighter jets since 2018, and this very old model and aging aircraft could be completely decommissioned from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force this year. This means that over 300 Chengdu J-7s currently on active duty will suddenly be out of service. But what will happen to these aircraft? Will they be scrapped?

According to Chinese analysts, the decommissioned J-7s will either be earmarked for training and testing, or they will be modified into drones to take on new roles in modern warfare.

According to the US Popular Mechanic, CHINA is likely converting or will convert old jet fighters it has decommissioned or will decommission into unmanned jet fighters, notably the Chengdu J-7.

Ironically, the J-7 and other Chinese replicas of Cold War-era Soviet aircraft may accomplish more with a pilot in the cockpit than they do with a pilot on board.

Unmanned Combat Aircraft Concept

Yes, China has found a new use for its old fighter jets: using them as unmanned fighter jets. This is not a new concept for China. Since the 60s, the US has been using many of its decommissioned fighter jets as aerial target jet fighters that can fly both manned and unmanned, giving them the QF code. The current aerial target jet fighter used by the US Air Force is the QF-16 (please see Ref-1 for more details).

In fact, thanks to an advanced artificial intelligence program integrated into a US Air Force QF-16, the unmanned QF-16 was able to defeat a manned F-16 in a dog-fight (see Ref.-2 for details).

Some experts claim that these robotic jet stacks were intended for SEAD/DEAD (Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) missions at the beginning of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

There is a high degree of truth to these claims. If you can bring an unmanned jet fighter aircraft into a configuration that can be controlled by robotic systems, even if these aircraft are old, you can get excellent SEAD/DEAD operational service from them, without risking the lives of any of your pilots. If you don't want to invest in the technology that will allow these aircraft to take off from their bases in a combat environment, hit the target, return to their bases and fly other sorties, you can at least use them as a very effective unmanned "kamikaze" fighter aircraft.

The Chengdu J-7 (NATO code name: "Fishcan") is a Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-21 from the 1960s. Although originally a mid-Cold War design, by 2013 more than 2,400 J-7s had been produced in 54 variants (Pakistan and Iran still use the F-7 export version). According to an annual report on military capabilities and defense economics by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has about 300 J-7s.

Chengdu J-7

However, the third-generation J-7 is well past its prime as China has been and continues to be heavily procuring new fourth- and fifth-generation jet fighters, such as the Chinese-designed and built J-16 and J-20 stealth fighters, in addition to the Russian-designed Su-30s.

Therefore, the "new role" for the J-7s will most likely be to convert them into unmanned aerial combat vehicles (UCAVs). This is not the first time that the goal of converting jets into drones has emerged. There has previously been speculation that China could also convert the J-6, China's copy of the 1950s-era Soviet MiG-19 fighter, into an UCAV.

But observers quickly noticed that four J-7s joined a group of new J-16 fighters during exercises near Taiwanese airspace in 2021, an unusual step for an aging aircraft that even the Taiwanese dismiss as a "grandfather jet." Some wondered whether these J-7s had been converted into drones, but the Chinese state has provided no public evidence of this.

Why convert a manned fighter jet into an unmanned fighter jet?

The most obvious reason would be to avoid wasting expensive jets by scrapping them. But a bigger reason may be performance. Purpose-built unmanned attack aircraft such as the US MQ-9 have a maximum speed of around 130-300 miles per hour. A J-7 converted drone can fly at almost Mach 2, and these manned fighters are designed for agile, high-speed maneuvers. Fighter jets can also carry a wide range of munitions, including air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles and bombs.

A 2022 study on the Chinese UCAV threat to Taiwan by the Mitchell Institute, a US-based think tank, concluded that "the cost of converting older aircraft to UCAVs is relatively low, but they retain many of the manned variant characteristics." According to this study; "drone-converted airframes will have the same performance, maneuverability and payload capacity as the original platforms."

Former J-6, J-7 and J-8 fighters, as well as Nanchang Q-5 bombers, could be converted into UCAVs and then "suppress Taiwan's air defense systems, flank an aircraft carrier, or conduct basic counter-air operations.

Nanchang Q-5

For example, by sending hundreds of unmanned aerial attack aircraft to destroy Taiwan's anti-aircraft missiles before the attack, China would not be able to suppress its enemy's air defenses. This would allow China's manned attack aircraft to enter the target area without the threat of air defenses.

Like "cicadas" that can stay underground for long periods of time, the PLAAF may not hide a large number of these UCAVs in underground bunkers, and could secretly mass them for an attack on Taiwan.

In this concept, ironically, the J-7 and other Chinese replicas of Cold War-era Soviet aircraft might have more success than they do with a pilot in the cockpit.

The Global Times described the J-7 as "the first Chinese-developed supersonic fighter jet capable of reaching Mach 2." In reality, the J-7 was based on MiG-21 aircraft design plans, blueprint drawings and components delivered by the Soviets in 1961. When China and the Soviet Union split over the leadership of the Communist bloc in the early 1960s, Moscow halted deliveries and China reverse-engineered its own design and produced and even exported large numbers of Chengdu J-7s.

Conclusion:

China is decommissioning its old jet fighter J-7 and other aging aircraft, but is in no hurry to dispose of them. It is obvious that these planes will be used to build "Special Drones". It seems that China has decided to replicate and borrow the experience of the United States' unmanned aerial target drones QFs, especially the QF-16 project, which can also work with artificial intelligence. It is assumed that this technological infrastructure already exists in China.

The J-7 fighters are capable of reaching Mach 2, so they can carry missiles, bombs and other weapons much faster than most modern drones. Moreover, this transformation would be extremely cost-effective.

It seems that countries will no longer make the mistake of scrapping the aging jet fighters they have taken out of service or will take out of service. The era of unmanned jet fighters has begun. This concept is a candidate to be among the most remarkable projects of the upcoming military aviation process.