China to turn old J-6 and J-7 fighters worth up to $9 million into supersonic drones

Chinese military companies are actively working on unmanned strike and reconnaissance drones. However, sometimes it is more profitable to turn an existing aircraft into a drone. Such a fate awaits the old J-6 and J-7 fighters.

Here's What We Know

The J-6, aka the F-6 Farmer, is China's copy of the Soviet-era MiG-19, and the most popular fighter in service with China's People's Liberation Army. The Chinese Air Force received 3,000 aircraft in various modifications.

The fighter is equipped with two W-6 engines with a total maximum thrust of 51 kN and approximately 64 kN on afterburner. The J-6 is capable of speeds of 1540 km/h (1340 km/h on the ground), has a range of up to 2200 km and four hangpoints.

The J-7, aka F-7, is also a Chinese licensed copy of the Soviet aircraft. This time it is the MiG-21. It is not as massive as the J-6, but has received many more modifications. The most expensive costs $9 million. The aircraft is capable of speeds in excess of Mach 2 (2469.6 km/h).

The J-6 and J-7 have already been successfully decommissioned by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force. According to some reports, Chinese experts are already working on turning third-generation fighters into supersonic drones. In theory, they could be used to oversaturate Taiwan's air defence system or as kamikaze drones.

China is not a pioneer in turning aircraft into drones. The US has been testing artificial intelligence capable of flying F-16s for a relatively long time. Also the US military wants to turn several Fighting Falcons into UAVs as part of the VENOM project.

Source: Interesting Engineering