China has achieved what some foreign
experts once thought was impossible — it has independently developed a
next-generation air-to-air missile without assistance from foreign
specialists or borrowed technology.
Designed by Fan Huitao, the
deputy director of the Air-to-Air Missile Research Institute under the
Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the missile, known as the "Key
Model," successfully passed the designed type approval test and achieved
an excellent result, with all seven missiles hitting their targets.
Its
successful development indicates that China already fully possesses the
ability to independently develop internationally-advanced air-to-air
missiles. It is a historic breakthrough in China's air-to-air missile
development and has met the Chinese Air Force's requirement for the
model to be designed, produced, delivered and made combat effective
within one year. The new missile offers the military and country another
trump card.
The Key Model is an international-advanced AAM
model. It is a secret weapon for gaining air superiority. It plays a
crucial role in reinforcing the power of national defense and
strengthening the influence of China.
However, it is very hard
to develop and only a few developed countries around the world possess
such a capability. The complicated system of the model and the
high-grade, high-precision and advanced technologies needed to develop
it has never been seen in the development of other models.
Foreign
military experts once believed that employing foreign specialists as
chief designers was the only way for China to succeed. Even some Chinese
experts believed that the success rate of developing this kind of
missile was not high when relying only on the current technical
conditions of China. This was because China did not have any documents
to refer to and could not use a shortcut.
The successful
completion of the missile is the culmination of Fan Huitao's career in
the aviation industry. After Fan graduated from Northwestern
Poly-technical University with a major in aircraft engines in April
1986, he went to Luoyang and devoted himself to the field of air-to-air
missiles.
In 2000, Fan took over as the chief model designer and
began to lead a group in researching China's new-generation air-to-air
missile.
Source:By People's Daily Online
