Speculations Centre on Cambodia as First Customer of Chinese Jet

27 April 20220

Twin-seat FTC-2000G light attack aircraft (photo : FlightGlobal)

Speculation is swirling around the global aviation industry that points to Cambodia as the first buyer of the Chinese-made FTC-2000G multi-role aircraft.

This week, Global Times, an English language daily newspaper in China, reported that the aircraft, which is manufactured by the Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corp (GAIC), is selling the aircraft to a yet unnamed Southeast Asian country.

The report did not divulge the cost or the number of units sold. It only mentioned that the deal was signed in January of this year and that deliveries will start in early 2021 and completed after two years.

Recent Myanmar Air Force (MAF) acquisitions and orders discount the possibility that Myanmar is the buyer. Other countries in the region including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore are engaged in territorial disputes or have frayed relations with the Asian giant, thus making them unlikely buyers of Chinese hardware at this time.

This leaves Cambodia as the “most likely” buyer of the Chinese aircraft.

In October last year, the Prime Minister said that Cambodia will purchase four more L-39s from the Czech Republic.

Defence experts said it would be logical for Cambodia to choose China as an aircraft supplier.

Chinese military hardware, it was noted, is far cheaper than comparable Western-made equipment. The possibility that they can be obtained at a bargain price or with Chinese loans make them all the more attractive to emerging economy buyers, including Cambodia. Unlike the United States or other Western countries, China also sells weapons abroad with little to no strings attached.

An upgraded version of the Guizhou JL-9 advanced jet trainer, the twin-seat FTC-2000G flew for the first time in September 2018. The aircraft can be used for light attack duties or for training pilots. With seven external hardpoints, the aircraft can carry bombs, gun pods, rockets and short- to medium-range air-to-air missiles such as the SD-10.

It has a maximum speed of 1.2 Mach and comes equipped with a modern radar, fire control systems and navigational equipment. The Chinese have trumpeted it as “one of the cheapest” on the market.

See full article Khmer Times