in important respects. It flew at more than twice the speed of sound (over Mach 2) roughly 1,400 miles per hour with a combat radius of 300 to 500 miles, and could operate at altitudes above 50,000 feet. It was reported to be equipped to carry rapid-fire 30-mm machine guns, bombs (including tactical nuclear ones), rockets and air-to-ground missiles. In short, ’the F-9 is an impressive aircraft, particularly for a country just developing its own design and production capability’, The New York Times report said, adding that ’one can now look for slow but steady improvements’. The State Aircraft factory in Shenyang, China’s premier aircraft production centre, was then reported to be

S.K. Ghosh

Papers

A Setback for Chinese Air Force