{"id":32593746,"date":"2026-11-13T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/chengdu-j-7-f-7-china-mig-21-copy-history-pakistan-bangladesh\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T10:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:40:33","slug":"chengdu-j-7-f-7-china-mig-21-copy-history-pakistan-bangladesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/chengdu-j-7-f-7-china-mig-21-copy-history-pakistan-bangladesh\/","title":{"rendered":"Chengdu J-7: How China Rebuilt the MiG-21 and Sold It Worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Two years after the Sino-Soviet split had led Moscow to withdraw its advisers from China, the Soviet leader was offering Beijing the technology for the most modern fighter in his inventory, the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-21-fishbed\/\">MiG-21<\/a>. On 30 March 1962 the deal was signed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What arrived in Shenyang a few months later was not quite what had been promised. The kits, parts and paperwork were incomplete, and some components could not be used. China&rsquo;s engineers would have to work out the rest themselves. The aircraft they produced, the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/chengdu-j-7\/\">Chengdu J-7<\/a>, became one of the longest-lived fighters in history and, as the export F-7, flew for air forces from Pakistan to Namibia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Type:<\/strong> Single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter (two-seat trainers: JJ-7\/FT-7)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Origin:<\/strong> Licence-built and reverse-engineered derivative of the Soviet MiG-21F<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Technology deal:<\/strong> 30 March 1962<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 17 January 1966<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Top speed:<\/strong> Mach 2<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> About 2,400 between 1965 and 2013<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Last version built:<\/strong> F-7BGI for Bangladesh, deliveries completed 2013<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Chinese service:<\/strong> Retirement began 2018; CCTV said remaining PLAAF jets would leave combat service in 2023<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Largest export user:<\/strong> Pakistan Air Force (F-7P, F-7PG)<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Rebuilding a fighter from incomplete plans<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Chinese had expected trouble and prepared for it. Working from early MiG-21F airframes, kits and partial documents, they reverse-engineered what was missing, resolving 249 major technical problems and recreating eight major sets of technical documents the Soviets had not supplied. The engine, built as the WP-7, was its own battle: GlobalSecurity records a turbine-blade rejection rate of up to 50 percent until Chinese metallurgists developed a better alloy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Production started at Shenyang in March 1964, and the government soon spread the work to factories at Chengdu and in Guizhou. The first J-7 flew on 17 January 1966 and reached Mach 2.02 in testing. The type was certified for production in June 1967. Outside China, nobody was quite sure what was happening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;We have been expecting the Chinese to begin turning out Mig-21s for about two years, but they still have not started production.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>US Central Intelligence Agency<\/strong> &mdash; Assessment of Chinese MiG-21 production, 1968 (via GlobalSecurity.org)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/chengdu-j-7i-beijing-military-museum.jpg\" alt=\"Silver Chengdu J-7I fighter seen from the front, showing its nose intake and shock cone, inside the Beijing Military Museum\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An early J-7I at the Military Museum of the Chinese People&rsquo;s Revolution in Beijing. Seen head-on, the nose intake and shock cone inherited from the MiG-21 are unmistakable. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:J-7I_fighter_at_the_Beijing_Military_museum.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Max Smith \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The answer was the Cultural Revolution. The political upheaval that swept China from 1966 badly damaged quality and slowed the programme to a crawl. Mass production was only truly achieved in the 1980s, by which time the basic design was already showing its age against fighters such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\/\">F-16<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Fixing the MiG-21&rsquo;s weak points<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The early J-7s were troubled. The J-7I that entered service in 1976 suffered such serious hydraulic problems that at times up to 70 percent of a unit&rsquo;s aircraft were grounded. Chinese engineers also redesigned the fuel system, because the MiG-21 carried most of its fuel forward and its centre of gravity shifted as the tanks emptied. They replaced the Soviet ejection seat, which they judged unacceptable, as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even so, the J-7 was a clear step up from the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/shenyang-j-6-farmer-china-mig-19-f-6-pakistan-vietnam-drones\/\">Shenyang J-6<\/a>, China&rsquo;s copy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-19-farmer\/\">MiG-19<\/a>. Its WP-7 engine was roughly half as powerful again as the J-6&rsquo;s WP-6, according to GlobalSecurity. The weaknesses were the classic MiG-21 ones: a radar with a short search range, limited fuel and modest short-range firepower.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;It would appear, therefore, that the Chinese either have experienced great difficulties in reproducing this aircraft (which appears to be the most likely case) or that they have decided to bypass the Mig-21 in the hopes of developing a more advanced interceptor of their own design.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>US Central Intelligence Agency<\/strong> &mdash; Assessment, June 1970 (via GlobalSecurity.org)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Over the following decades the J-7 evolved well beyond its Soviet parent. A brief thaw with the West in the early 1980s brought British-made head-up displays into the cockpit. The J-7E introduced a new double-delta wing with a kinked leading edge, more fuel and better take-off and landing performance, along with a helmet-mounted sight and hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/igey68UCOM8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Weapon Detective on the Chengdu J-7 and how it differs from the Soviet MiG-21.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The final Chinese version, the J-7G, entered service with the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/peoples-liberation-army-air-force\/\">People&rsquo;s Liberation Army Air Force<\/a> in 2003. The J-7 also became the basis for the JL-9 trainer, and its design experience fed into later Chinese fighters. By the time production ended, about 2,400 J-7s and F-7s had been built between 1965 and 2013.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The F-7 goes abroad<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Cheap, simple and fast, the F-7 sold where Western fighters were too expensive or politically unavailable. Export versions often carried Western equipment, from British avionics to French Magic air-to-air missiles. Customers included Iraq, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Albania, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Namibia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/early-chinese-j-7-mig-21-copy-museum.jpg\" alt=\"Natural metal early Chinese J-7 fighter numbered 045 on outdoor display among trees, with information signs\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An early-production Chinese J-7, outwardly almost identical to the MiG-21F it was copied from, on outdoor display. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:045_a_Shenyang_J-7_of_the_Chinese_Air_Force_(3223302590).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerry Gunner \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The biggest customer outside China was the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/pakistan-air-force\/\">Pakistan Air Force<\/a>, which flew the F-7P and the later F-7PG with the double-delta wing. Pakistani F-7s served as air-defence fighters for decades; No. 2 Squadron, for example, flew F-7Ps from August 1990 until August 2015, when it began converting to the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/jf-17-thunder\/\">JF-17 Thunder<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/c8Hv29TWof4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The induction of the F-7PG into Pakistan Air Force service.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The JF-17 itself grew partly out of the F-7 story. In the 1980s Pakistan and China worked with Grumman on a redesigned F-7 known as Sabre II, but the project collapsed under sanctions. A later effort became the JF-17, which Pakistan is using to replace its whole F-7 fleet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/pakistan-f-7pg-uae-f-16-mirage-2000-formation-2009.jpg\" alt=\"Two UAE F-16s, a UAE Mirage 2000 and a Pakistan Air Force F-7 flying in formation over the Gulf coast in 2009\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Pakistan Air Force F-7 (right) flies alongside Emirati F-16s and a Mirage 2000 during a multinational exercise on 9 December 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:F-16_Mirage_2000_F-7PG_during_exercise.JPG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Bangladesh and the last F-7s<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/bangladesh-air-force\/\">Bangladesh Air Force<\/a> has flown F-7 variants since the late 1980s. In 2011 it ordered the F-7BGI, the most advanced member of the family, with multi-function displays, hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls and a modern head-up display. The last were delivered in 2013, and with them the J-7 production line closed after almost half a century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/bangladesh-air-force-f-7bgi-2716.jpg\" alt=\"Bangladesh Air Force Chengdu F-7BGI serial 2716 taxiing on a runway with airliners in the background\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Bangladesh Air Force F-7BGI 2716 backtracking before a sortie. The F-7BGI was the last version of the J-7 family to be built, with deliveries completed in 2013. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:2716_Bangladesh_Air_Force_F-7BGI_(32457475670).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shadman Samee \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In China, the end came a decade later. The PLAAF began retiring the J-7 in 2018, and in early 2023 state broadcaster CCTV said the remaining jets would leave combat service that year, replaced by the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/j-10-vigorous-dragon\/\">J-10<\/a>, J-16 and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/j-20-mighty-dragon\/\">J-20<\/a>. Chinese commentators suggested the old fighters could be kept for training and testing or turned into drones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>How many were still flying was never clear. The reference work World Air Forces 2023 listed more than 320 J-7s with the PLAAF and about 30 more with the navy, figures Air Data News cautioned could be inaccurate. In June 2021 J-7s even appeared in an exercise near Taiwan, where the island&rsquo;s defence authorities said the aircraft were not drones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zTT8aJ99RHA\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">A Bangladesh Air Force F-7BGI, the last production version of the J-7 family, taking off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Abroad, the J-7 is still flying. Pakistan, Bangladesh and several African and Asian air forces continue to operate it, more than six decades after Khrushchev&rsquo;s letter. To understand what made the original so fast, read our explainer on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mig-21-nose-cone-inlet-shock-cone-explained\/\">MiG-21 nose cone<\/a>, the shock cone the J-7 inherited and kept to the very last F-7BGI.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: GlobalSecurity.org (J-7, citing CIA assessments of 1968 and 1970), WarHistory.org, Air Data News, Global Times, Alert 5, Dawn, The Daily Star, AeroCorner<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pakistan_Air_Force_Chengdu_F-7PG_inflight.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asuspine \/ Wikimedia Commons, GFDL 1.2<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is the Chengdu J-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Chengdu J-7 is a Chinese single-engine supersonic fighter derived from the Soviet MiG-21. China received MiG-21 technology under a 1962 deal, reverse-engineered the parts and documents that were missing, and first flew the J-7 on 17 January 1966. Export versions are called the F-7.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the J-7 a copy of the MiG-21?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, the J-7 began as a licence-built copy of the MiG-21F, but Chinese engineers had to reverse-engineer missing documents and parts. Later versions changed a great deal, adding a redesigned fuel system, British head-up displays and, on the J-7E, a new double-delta wing.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many J-7 and F-7 fighters were built?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">About 2,400 J-7 and F-7 fighters were built between 1965 and 2013. Production ended in 2013 with the F-7BGI for the Bangladesh Air Force, the most advanced and last version of the family, closing a production run of almost half a century.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which countries fly the F-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The F-7 has been exported to many air forces, including Pakistan, the largest operator outside China, Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Namibia. Iraq and Albania flew it in the past, and Pakistan is replacing its F-7s with the JF-17.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did China retire the J-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The People&rsquo;s Liberation Army Air Force began retiring the J-7 in 2018. In early 2023, state broadcaster CCTV said the remaining jets would leave combat service that year, replaced by the J-10, J-16 and J-20. Retired airframes could be used for training, testing or conversion into drones.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in a MiG-21?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug offers flights in a Florida-based two-seat MiG-21, the Soviet fighter the J-7 was copied from. No pilot licence is needed: after ground school you fly with a professional fighter pilot, break the sound barrier over the Gulf of Mexico and can take the controls. Details: <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/mig-21-launch\/\">MiG-21 supersonic flight<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Chengdu J-7?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Chengdu J-7 is a Chinese single-engine supersonic fighter derived from the Soviet MiG-21. China received MiG-21 technology under a 1962 deal, reverse-engineered the parts and documents that were missing, and first flew the J-7 on 17 January 1966. Export versions are called the F-7.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the J-7 a copy of the MiG-21?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, the J-7 began as a licence-built copy of the MiG-21F, but Chinese engineers had to reverse-engineer missing documents and parts. Later versions changed a great deal, adding a redesigned fuel system, British head-up displays and, on the J-7E, a new double-delta wing.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many J-7 and F-7 fighters were built?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"About 2,400 J-7 and F-7 fighters were built between 1965 and 2013. 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Retired airframes could be used for training, testing or conversion into drones.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I fly in a MiG-21?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. MiGFlug offers flights in a Florida-based two-seat MiG-21, the Soviet fighter the J-7 was copied from. No pilot licence is needed: after ground school you fly with a professional fighter pilot, break the sound barrier over the Gulf of Mexico and can take the controls. Details: MiG-21 supersonic flight.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mig-21-nose-cone-inlet-shock-cone-explained\/\">MiG-21 Nose Cone Explained: How the Shock Cone Feeds a Mach 2 Jet<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/shenyang-j-6-farmer-china-mig-19-f-6-pakistan-vietnam-drones\/\">Shenyang J-6: China\u2019s MiG-19 Copy, From Vietnam to Drones<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/jf-17-thunder-pakistan-china-fighter-block-iii-explained\/\">JF-17 Thunder: The Pakistan-China Fighter That Keeps Finding Buyers<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-mig-21-10000-built-60-countries-still-flying\/\">The MiG-21: 10,000 Built, 60 Countries, Still Flying<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chengdu J-7 began with incomplete Soviet MiG-21 plans in 1962. China reverse-engineered the rest, built about 2,400 and sold the F-7 from Pakistan to Namibia.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":32593580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32593746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chengdu J-7: China&#039;s MiG-21 Copy and the F-7 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chengdu J-7 history: how China reverse-engineered the MiG-21 from incomplete Soviet plans, built about 2,400 and exported the F-7 worldwide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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