How did China make J-7 fighter jet from Russia's Mig-21? The story came into discussion after Bangladesh crash

News Topical, Digital Desk : The F-7 fighter plane made in China crashed into a school in Dhaka yesterday. More than 27 people died in this accident. The F-7 fighter plane is also called the 'Grandpa Fighter Jet'. It was made by China in 1960 in collaboration with Russia (then Soviet Union).

Currently, apart from Bangladesh, many countries including Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe use F-7 aircraft.

F-7 is an advanced version of J-7

Bangladesh has a total of 36 F-7 fighter jets. Pakistan has the most fighter jets with 120 F-7s. However, China has made most of its aircraft either by copying them from America or Russia. The F-7 fighter jet is also not an exception. China's F-7 jet is very similar to the MiG-21.

The story started in 1961

Actually, China's F-7 fighter jet is an advanced version of the J-7 fighter plane and China built the J-7 on the lines of Russia's Mig-21, or rather, it was stolen from Russia by deceit. In 1961, China's Mao signed an agreement with Soviet's Nikita, which included the proposal to build the Mig-21 in China.

Relations between China and Russia deteriorated

Under this agreement, the MiG-21 fighter jet was sent to China along with some technical documents. However, later due to some reasons, Russia broke this agreement. But by then it was too late. The Russian MiG-21 and its secret documents had reached China. Russia accused China of having information about the MiG-21, but China completely rejected the claim that the documents contained technical information.

In 1964, China built the J-7

In 1964, China built the J-7 aircraft using the same documents and the MiG-21. This aircraft looked exactly like the MiG-21. However, Chinese engineers made some changes in its components so that it did not look like an exact copy of the MiG-21. In a short time, the J-7 fighter jets that gave tough competition to the MiG-21 became the pride of the Chinese army and their demand started increasing in many countries of the world.

Fighter jets given to many countries

China started selling these fighter jets to many countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, which boosted Chinese defense exports and brought billions in benefits to the Chinese economy. Over time, the J-7 fighter jet was upgraded and today its advanced version is known as the F-7.

Mig-21 inducted into Indian Air Force

India bought MiG-21 from Russia in 1963. MiG-21 is called the flying wedge, which is known for its accurate strike in the air. Russia first built MiG-21 in 1955. India still has 2 squadrons of MiG-21. Although MiG-21 is known for its safety records, this aircraft has also crashed twice. Now, Tejas aircraft is replacing MiG-21 in the Indian Air Force.

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