Myanmar Air Force receives first Guizhou FTC-2000 light fighter jets.

The first shipment of Chinese Guizhou FTC-2000G Mountain Eagle fighter jets has been delivered to the Myanmar Air Force, according to reports in both local and international media echoed by Valius Venckunas on December 9 in AerotimeHub.

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FTC-2000G at Airshow China 2018  (Picture source: Wikipedia)

The delivery has not been officially announced. However, according to Myanmar's oppositional news website The Irrawaddy which referred to observers close to the matter, the aircraft reached Myanmar in November 2022. The Irrawaddy claims the jets were likely ordered in 2020 and that, in June 2022, at least 8 Myanmar pilots, 8 technicians and 2 officers traveled to China to receive the aircraft, Valius Venckunas write.

The FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle is an export designation of the Guizhou JL-9, an advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft manufactured by China’s Guizhou Aviation Industry Import/Export Company (GAIEC). The Guizhou JL-9 (or FTC-2000) is a family of two-seat supersonic advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Import/Export Company (GAIEC) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). The FTC-2000 is developed from the JJ-7/FT-7, the two-seat trainer version of the Chengdu J-7, a Chinese variant of the Mig-21. The FTC-2000 uses a new wing, a forward fuselage with side air intakes, and a glass cockpit; the engine, empennage, and mechanical controls of the JJ-7/FT-7 are retained.

The Mountain Eagle Fighters are expected to replace the F-7 and A-5 of the MAF. The F-7 is the export version of the Chinese Chengdu J-7, an aircraft that began life in the 1960s. The A-5 or the Nanchang Q-5 is only just a little more recent, having been readied in the 1970s. They are capable aircraft with the ability to take and land from airfields that do not have advanced facilities. They have short take-off and landing capabilities.

The Myanmar Air Force currently operates a wide range of Chinese and Russian fighter jets, including older Nanchang Q-5, Chengdu J-7, MiG-29, and newer JF-17 and Sukhoi Su-30.