Hongdu JL-8

what is it?

The Hongdu JL-8 (Nanchang JL-8), also known as the Karakorum-8 or K-8 for short, is a two-seat intermediate jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed by China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. The primary contractor is the Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 9.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 800 km/htop speed
• range 2,250 kmwithout refuelling
• size 4,330 kgmax take-off weight
• built 735made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 36 years ago, in 1990.
• 🏎️Top speed is 6.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.6 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 2,250 km: 13× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.5× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1990-11-21

introduced

1994

status

still flying

number built

735

role

jet trainer, light attack

origin

🇨🇳 People's Republic of China

makers

Hongdu, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation

engines

1× Ivchenko AI-25TLK

crew

2

length

11.6 m

wingspan

9.6 m

height

4.1 m

max take-off weight

4,330 kg

top speed

800 km/h

range

2,250 km

ceiling

13,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.