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Trainer aircraftIn service
Jet trainer Light attack
Hongdu JL-8 is a jet trainer Light attack originating in China Pakistan. It was built by Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. Reported operators include PLA Air Force Pakistan Air Force Egyptian Air Force Myanmar Air Force Bangladesh Air Force.
China PakistanJet trainer Light attack
China Pakistan
Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
In service
PLA Air Force Pakistan Air Force Egyptian Air Force Myanmar Air Force Bangladesh Air Force
735+
1990–2020
21 September 1994
21 November 1990
2
11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
9.63 m (31 ft 7 in)
4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
2,687 kg (5,924 lb)
4,330 kg (9,546 lb)
1 × Ivchenko AI-25TLK turbofan engine, 16.9 kN (3,800 lbf) thrust
800 km/h (500 mph, 430 kn)
2,250 km (1,400 mi, 1,210 nmi)
13,000 m (43,000 ft)
1× 23 mm cannon pod (mounted on centreline hardpoint)
Up to 5 hardpoints (varies on variants), total capacity 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) external fuel and ordnance: 4× under-wing, capacity 250 kg each 1× under-fuselage (23 mm cannon pod mount)
+7.33 -3.0
254.40 kg/m 2 (52.11 lb/sq ft)
57 mm unguided rocket pods, capacity 24 rounds (2 x pods with 12 rounds each)
PL-5 , PL-7
TL-10 , TL-20 , YJ-9E (Anti ship) . NG Version only.
200 kg, 250 kg unguided bomb . 50 kg, 100 kg Laser guided bomb . NG Version only.
2× 80 US gal (300 L) fuel drop-tanks mounted on outboard under-wing hardpoints
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 11.6 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
Hongdu JL-8 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
AngolaReported count for Hongdu JL-8 · K-8W. Service scope: National Air Force of Angola; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
BangladeshReported count for Hongdu JL-8 · K-8W. Service scope: Bangladesh Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 15. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
BoliviaReported count for Karakoram K-8. Service scope: Bolivian Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 4. Origin: China / Pakistan. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
ChinaReported count for Hongdu JL-8. Service scope: People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 16. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
EgyptDirectory active-fleet estimate for the source types K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Sums only the listed service and role rows; includes training and special-mission versions where explicitly listed. Excludes the separate Ordered column, aircraft in storage, aircraft undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and the directory's other exclusions. This is the dated directory coverage of these types, not a complete owned-fleet census or a readiness count.
GhanaDated directory active-fleet estimate for K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
LaosReported count for Hongdu K-8. Service scope: Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 4. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
MyanmarDated directory active-fleet estimate for K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
NamibiaDated directory active-fleet estimate for K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
PakistanDirectory active-fleet estimate for the source types K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Sums only the listed service and role rows; includes training and special-mission versions where explicitly listed. Excludes the separate Ordered column, aircraft in storage, aircraft undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and the directory's other exclusions. This is the dated directory coverage of these types, not a complete owned-fleet census or a readiness count.
Sri LankaDated directory active-fleet estimate for K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
SudanAir Force holdings of the exact named K-8 Karakorum* component, counted as equipment units: active, operational reserve and training equipment, excluding equipment in store. Service-scoped IISS observation, not a national total or combat-readiness figure. No parent, sibling, mounted-weapon or heading aggregate quantity inherited. Source ε explicitly marks the count as estimated.
TanzaniaReported count for Hongdu JL-8 · K-8. Service scope: Tanzania Air Force Command; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 4. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
VenezuelaDated directory active-fleet estimate for K-8, grouped under Hongdu JL-8. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
ZambiaReported count for Hongdu JL-8 · K-8. Service scope: Zambian Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 15. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
ZimbabweReported count for Hongdu JL-8 · K-8. Service scope: Air Force of Zimbabwe; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. 2025 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
PLA Air Force Pakistan Air Force Egyptian Air Force Myanmar Air Force Bangladesh Air Force
Equipment reference ↗Reported count for Hongdu JL-8. Service scope: People's Liberation Army Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 350. Origin: China. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.