In the history of China's aviation, there is a fighter known as the ancestor of the J-10 and J-20, its design is avant-garde, the performance is excellent, but it is a pity that it was forced to dismount because the hard indicators are too strict. This fighter is the J-9 fighter, which is known as the "Eagle with Broken Wings".
At the end of the 60s of the last century, China copied the J-21 on the basis of the MiG-7, but due to poor performance, the Air Force was not satisfied with it. At this time, the Shenyang 601 Institute proposed two improvement schemes: one is to enlarge the MiG-21 to form a double-engine version of the MiG-21, that is, the later J-8;The second is to change the air intake on both sides, reserve the nose space and equip the fire control radar to form a single-engine high-speed interceptor, which is the origin of the J-9.
In 1970, in order to deal with the threat from the north, China decided to develop a more powerful J-9 fighter. The positioning of the J-9 is a high-altitude and high-speed interceptor, which can intercept bombers and attack aircraft. The military put forward the "double 25" indicator for it, that is, the flight speed reached 2Mach 5, flying at an altitude of 250,000 meters. This indicator makes the research and development of the J-9 full of challenges.
In order to meet the "double 25" indicators, the Chengfei team equipped the J-9 with a thrust of 138-ton turbofan 6 engine, and for the first time in a domestic fighter, a canard layout was adopted. The J-9 became the world's first fighter with a canard layout, and its design concept influenced the subsequent J-10 and J-20.
However, although the performance of the J-9 is better than that of the J-8 of the same period, its development is also much more difficult than expected. Coupled with the influence of the international environment at that time, the United States launched the XB-70 Valkyrie trisonic strategic bomber, and the Soviet Union launched the Sukhoi T-4 and MiG-25, and the military's performance expectations for the J-9 continued to increase, which eventually led to the discontinuation of the J-9 project.
Although the J-9 project was unsuccessful, a large amount of data accumulated during its research and development provided an important reference for the research and development of China's follow-up fighters. The design concept of the J-9 has been inherited and carried forward in the J-10 and J-20, making it reborn from the ashes to a certain extent. Although the J-9 was defeated, its short-lived glory witnessed the arduous course and continuous exploration of China's aviation industry.