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Sino-Pak fighter plane makes successful maiden test flight
September 03, 2003 17:44 IST
'Fierce Dragon' (FC-1), a third generation fighter aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China, succesfully undertook its maiden test flight recently, media reports said.
"The recent maiden flight of the plane, named Xiaolong/FC-1, or Fierce Dragon, proved successful in Wenjiang airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province," the official Xinhua news agency quoted a state-run newspaper as saying.
"During the show, the plane demonstrated its outstanding mobility, good interception and ground attack capability," a report in the Economic Daily newspaper said without giving the exact date of the test flight.
Interestingly, the report was silent about China's 'all-weather' friend Pakistan's role in the development of the fighter plane. Islamabad has reportedly invested some $ 75 million in the venture.
The report also did not mention the presence of Pakistan's Air Force Chief Kaleem Saadat, who arrived in Chengdu on Sunday along with a high-level military delegation to witness the maiden test flight.
The report only mentioned that China has developed an advanced, multipurpose light fighter plane to meet the needs
of overseas customers.
Pakistani defence officials say the FC-1's performance matches that of the US-made F-16.
With advanced design and manufacturing technology, the plane has the comprehensive combat capability of a third generation fighter plane and is on par with the world's most advanced fighter planes, the report said.
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