Hongdu L-15B Specs, Price, Engine, Cockpit, and Photos. Hongdu L-15B is a new twin-seat combat trainer established due to the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), portion of the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). This is an advanced variant of the L-15 supersonic trainer/ attack aircraft.
HAIG presented a mock-up from the L-15B trainer at Zhuhai Airshow which was composed November 2016. The trainer was inaugurated by HAIG at its headquarters in Nanchang, China, in May. L-15B combat training aircraft can perform advanced training, primary combat training (LIFT), air defense, and air-to-ground attack missions.
Hongdu L-15B Engine
The L-15B jet trainer is powered by two Ivchenko Progress AI-222-25F turbofan engines with afterburners. The machine is furnished with a full authority digital engine control system (FADEC).
The maximum speed of the L-15B combat trainer is Mach 1.4. This aircraft has an operational range of 2,600 km, which could be extended by integration of a fuel drop tank.
Hongdu L-15B Specs
The L-15B jet trainer is furnished with a mixed wing body configuration and a medium aspect ratio with leading edge for improved aerodynamic performance. Empennage includes a single vertical tail and a horizontal full motion tail.
The L-15B aircraft is outfitted with a retractable three wheel landing gear wheel, including a single nose wheel unit and two main wheel units. Overall the L-15B aircraft has a length of 12.4 m and a height of 4.7 m, a wingspan of 9.4 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 11.6 t.
With a design life of 10,000 hours, this trainer aircraft offers superior flight performance and safety, a wide operating envelope, and a high cost efficiency ratio.
Hongdu L-15B Cockpit and Avionics
The sophisticated glass cockpit of the L-15B jjet trainer has a head-to-top screen for the front cockpit, a head-to-bottom show for the rear cockpit. Both cockpits are outfitted with multi-color screens and hands-on-throttle-and-stick flight control (HOTAS). It accommodates two crew members, including a student pilot in the pole position and an instructor in the back in a tandem layout.
The modern cockpit of the L-15B is covered by a large glass canopy and offers pilots superior space, comfort and a field of view. The aircraft is also outfitted with a digital three-axis fly-by wire system, which allows pilots to simulate flight characteristics of some of the most modern fighter jets.
The advanced avionics suite of the L-15B jet trainer ensures student pilots to handle the complex digital cockpit of modern Chinese fighters. The nose of the aircraft is outfitted with an electronically scanned radar array (PESA). The PESA X-band radar can guide air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles to a maximum range of 111 km.
The L-15B jet trainer integrates a radar warning receiver (RWR) in a vertical stabilizer. The nose also features a fin antenna for good friend or foe identification systems (IFF). It can also be geared up with a special electronic warfare pod.
Hongdu L-15B Weapons System
The fighter model of the L-15B aircraft can carry a 3,500 kg weapons load at nine hard-points. Each wing has three hard points, while each wing tip accommodates one hard point. Under the fuselage also has a hard point for transporting weapons.
L-15B fighter aircraft could be armed with a variety of weapon systems such as PL-10 infrared-homing, short range, air-to-air missiles, active PL-12, radar guided, out of visual range, air-to-air missiles, and PL missiles -8 infrared-guided, short-range, air-to-air, as well as LT-2 lasers and precision-guided LS-6 bombs.
Hongdu L-15B Price
The price of the latest Hongdu L-15B jet trainer is US $ 15 Million.
