Six more FTC-2000G midrange fighter jets purchased from China arrived in Myanmar in August, amid the junta’s escalating aerial bombardment of towns lost to ethnic armies, The Irrawaddy has learnt.
The warplanes were among a batch ordered in 2020, but delivery and pilot training were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s strict containment policy.
The regime took delivery of six warplanes in November 2022, before the second batch arrived in August this year.
The new planes have been deployed to Namhsan airbase in southern Shan State, where pilots are undergoing familiarization training, said a former sergeant who deserted from the Air Force after the 2021 coup.
“Personnel from Namhsan air base have posted about the new aircraft. I received reports that the regime also purchased equipment for the new fighters on [September] 19,” said the former sergeant, who goes by the name of Zeya.
The FTC-2000G is an advanced light multi-role trainer/combat aircraft designed and manufactured by Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation (GAIC) under the supervision of state-owned aerospace and defense firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
It is the export variant of the Guizhou JL-9 trainer/combat aircraft, which is in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), as well as the Sudanese military.
The two-seat jet fighter can be used for attack, training, aerial surveillance, patrol missions, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, close-in air support, and air escort.
It can carry up to 3 tonnes of weaponry – missiles, rockets or bombs – and is tasked mainly with airstrikes against ground targets.
As a low-flying aircraft designed for strafing, it can only operate at a maximum altitude of 16,000 meters, leaving it vulnerable to portable surface-to-air missiles that can reach up to 5,000 meters, according to analysts.
The arrival of the new fighter jets marks the latest escalation in military cooperation between Beijing and the regime since Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew to Naypyitaw in August to meet junta boss Min Aung Hlaing. Following the meeting, the junta has launched some 40 airstrikes on civilian targets including schools, hospitals and a relief camp, killing at least 180 people including dozens of children, according to The Irrawaddy’s records.
“China is aiding the regime in various aspects, let alone airpower. Chinese engineers are overhauling Y-8 aircraft for the regime. Most of the warplanes in the Air Force fleet are either Chinese- or Russian-made. [China’s military] has maintained close contact with the Myanmar Air Force,” said Zeya.
On Jan. 16, a regime FTC-2000G deployed to bomb Nam Phat Kar village in Kutkai Township, northern Shan State, was shot down by the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
The new fighter jets have arrived as the regime escalates its air attacks on civilian populations in Shan, Rakhine, Kachin and Kayah (Karenni) states and Sagaing Region.
