Experiences indicated the PLA Air Drive is changing its older J-6, J-7 and J-8 jets into UAVs and UCAVs for use from airfields within the Taiwan Strait.
Within the run as much as the Changchun Air Present in northeastern China this week, the primary picture of a legacy PLA Air Drive Chilly Warfare-era J-6 jet transformed right into a UAV/UCAV has appeared. This confirms a long-held evaluation and perception that the PLA would use the older J-6, J-7 and J-8 jets as attritable unmanned platforms for quite a lot of decoy and swarming roles – or each – in a Taiwan invasion.
Shared by main Chinese language army aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht, one of many close-up pictures present the pilot’s seat within the cockpit eliminated, indicated by a lacking headrest, and a plaque in Mandarin figuring out it because the J-6. Pictures of a J-6 meant for that position have appeared beforehand, with an image from October 2021 shared by ‘East Pendulum’ exhibiting two J-6s at an unidentified air base. The submit stated the “previous J-6s, nonetheless in energetic service, however not fairly like earlier than,” hinting at their roles as UAVs/UCAVs.
The Shenyang J-6 and the Chengdu J-7 are Chinese language variations of the Soviet MiG-19 and the MiG-21, respectively, initially license-built within the nation. The PRC later closely modified and customised the airframes with their very own parts and electronics. The J-8 in the meantime was a twin-engine heavy interceptor, developed as a clean-sheet design incorporating the teachings from the J-6 and J-7 applications.
For the primary time a J-6W UCAV was placed on show … right here noticed on the Changchun Air Present.
Much more attention-grabbing nonetheless are reviews, it has been retired already (certainly almost definitely) and the models that operated them now use GJ-11 or are to achieve them quickly.
(Through @军武次位面) pic.twitter.com/dWskXCYLyJ
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 16, 2025
China’s ambitions to transform these legacy jets into UCAVs first emerged within the 2018 version of the Zhuhai Air Present, when a show board demonstrated the PLA’s ambitions to switch the Q-5, J-6, J-7, and J-8, all in any other case underneath retirement, into UAVs. Then, on Jun. 17, 2021, in response to The Diplomat the PLA dispatched 4 J-7 fighters into the southwest ADIZ of Taiwan. “Though they didn’t keep lengthy in that space, it was the primary time that J-7s had entered the realm,” the report added.
Examine about UCAV conversions
A November 2022 research by the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Research (MIAS), authored by non-resident fellow Daniel Rice, examined satellite tv for pc photos of 5 ahead airfields from 2018 to 2022, and inferred their use to launch UAV and UCAV swarms in opposition to Taiwan.
Rice identifies the 5 airfields at Shuimen, Longtian, Luocheng/Huian, Zhangzhou, and Shantou. Shuimen, Longtian, Luocheng/Huian, and Zhangzhou airfields are situated throughout the Chinese language Fujian province, and Shantou is within the Guangdong province. Aside from Shantou, that falls underneath the Southern Theatre Command, the remainder of the 4 are underneath the Jap Theater Command.
Monitoring building of amenities like hardened shelters, electrical provide and gas and ammunition depots over time, the report concluded that these airfields “adjoining to the Taiwan Strait are meant for everlasting, sustained operations within the occasion of a Chinese language assault on Taiwan.” That report additionally recognized the J-7s and J-6s hosted by these bases. Assuming they have been transformed as UCAVs, Rice concluded they might function the opening wave in opposition to Taiwanese CAPs (Fight Air Patrols) and air defenses.
The research additionally anticipates these legacy jets carrying air-to-air missiles, runway cratering bombs, unguided rockets, and anti-ship missiles. It stays to be seen if that is really how the PLA would really make use of them, or use them in any respect. Nonetheless, the emergence of the unmanned variant in an air present implies that Chinese language commanders have that choice.
Theoretically, the huge drone swarms ought to considerably exhaust, if not utterly deplete, Taiwanese anti-air stockpiles. China’s naval and air drills round Taiwan at the moment are routine, whatever the prevailing well being of diplomatic relations.
Not solely would any precise invasion be a mere extension of these rehearsals, however can be indistinguishable from the routine workout routines. The PLA Navy and PLA Air Drive would merely prolong their naval and air blockades, till the U.S., allies and Taipei notice an invasion is underway.
As for the numbers and manufacturing of the UCAVs, the research identifies the PLAAF’s ‘Lushan J-6 Conversion Facility’, with a satellite tv for pc picture from Jun. 2018 exhibiting two J-7s, and lots of of J-6s parked there. The legacy fighter UCAV manufacturing seems to have “considerably ramped up in 2017,” and in 2020, a good portion of the UCAVs have been transferred off the airfield.
“As of December 2021, 235 legacy platforms may be recognized on the conversion facility and on the Lushan ramp. As of April 2022, the whole variety of reported J-6W UCAVs could also be 580 with 20 further assault drones getting into the (PLAAF Brigades) in November 2022,” Rice stated within the MIAS report.
How would China use them
Drones are cheaper than manned planes, they usually can unburden manned fighters of reasonably advanced but routine logistical transport, CAP and surveillance duties, whereas additionally being utilized in hurdles created by limitations of human endurance. Being manufactured inside China because the Nineteen Sixties additionally eases their modifications due to the involvement of their State Owned Enterprises.
We have no idea if the J-6 within the picture is programmed to launch weapons, or whether it is fully-, semi-autonomous or solely remotely operated. Apparently, a current submit by ‘SomePLAOSINT’ revealed that the PLAAF nonetheless makes use of a coach variant of the J-7, referred to as the JJ-7, with the final airframe delivered in 2017 – when the J-20 entered service. We’ve, nonetheless, not but come throughout photos of the unmanned variations of the J-7 or the J-8.
The MIAS research expects the drones to be the opening wave of assault previous the frontline fighters. These embrace the J-16, its J-16D digital warfare variant, Su-30MKK and JH-7 maritime strike plane, H-6K strategic bomber, J-35A, J-20, the J-10C and the PLA Navy’s navalized J-35, J-15A and J-15T.
The legacy aircraft-turned-drones are designated the J-6W, J-7W and J-8W, with anyplace between seven to 10 hardpoints in a position to carry the older PL-2, PL-5, PL-7, PL-8, PL-9 and PL-12 AAMs and Kh-13 Anti-Ship Missiles.
Les vieux J-6, toujours en service actif, mais plus vraiment comme avant…#Drone #Kamikaze pic.twitter.com/QdEJRr7dA5
— East Pendulum (@HenriKenhmann) October 19, 2021
Calling it the Cicada technique, the paper notes how “the PLAAF might select to cover a lot of these UCAVs in underground shelters and have them surreptitiously emerge in mass for an assault on Taiwan.” The report strongly suggests focusing on these airfields first, however notes that the U.S. army lacks long-range stand-off munitions that may penetrate the PLA’s Built-in Air Protection System (IADS).
“Though many combos of platforms and munitions might suppress these airfields, the US Air Drive presently lacks capability in each supply programs and munitions,” Rice stated.
That is JJ-7. The coach model of the J-7 household. The most recent one was delivered to the PLAAF in 2017. This was after J-20 formally entered service. pic.twitter.com/JNnnImRkeY
— SomePLAOSINT (@someplaosint) September 16, 2025
The airfields
These airfields are usually guarded by HQ-9 and S-300 SAM programs. Whereas Su-30MKKs and J-10s have been identified to function from Shuimen, Zhangzhou has J-7s and J-10s. Longtian and Shantou have the J-6 and J-7 unmanned fight aerial automobiles (UCAV), with the latter anticipated to function the KJ-500 airborne early warning and management (AEW&C) plane.
China has additionally added the KJ-700, KJ-3000 AEW&C plane and the WZ-9 Divine Eagle unmanned airborne radars to its arsenal.
Based mostly on the “imagery evaluation, doctrinal analysis, and knowledgeable opinions,” Rice concluded that “the hardened shelters present safe amenities for upkeep, refueling, and rearmament within the occasion of surge operations.”
“These airfields may additionally be instrumental in […] large-scale assault drone operations in opposition to Taiwan,” he added. “Within the occasion of a PLA assault on Taiwan, it will be crucial […] to suppress these airfields to blunt short-range fighter operations in opposition to Taiwan.”
