Documents
China 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
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.
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 7% 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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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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