Hongdu L15 Falcon supersonic advanced trainer and light attack jet
(Translated from Google, edited for clarity)
Hongdu Aviation Industry Group chief economist of First Financial on April 25,
Yang Liping said that listed companies
Hongdu Aviation Falcon L15 advanced trainer aircraft is to deliver 12 units of the supersonic advanced trainer/light attack jet to the Latin American and African market, which is the first time
that the model will be exported to foreign markets.
Hongdu Aviation is an enterprise specialized in producing domestic coach aircraft and general aviation aircraft; Previously, the company’s main product was the intermediate trainer K8 aircraft which now accounts for more than 75% of similar aircraft market share.
According to First Financial, L15 aircraft both in unit price or profit margin, compared to the K8 aircraft is expected to be much higher.
Beegeagle's Blog 
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (1 student pilot and 1 instructor/official pilot, or 1 official pilot and 1 weapons systems officer)
Length: 12.27 m
Wingspan: 9.48 m
Height: 4.81 m
Empty weight: 4.96 t (6.5 t)
Max. takeoff weight: 9.5 t
Powerplant:
2 × Ivchenko Progress AI-222K-25F afterburning turbofans
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.4
Range: 3,100 km
Combat radius: Over 550+ km
Service ceiling: 16,000 m
Rate of climb: >200 m/s (afterburning)
Secret african customer ?? Hmmm, only NAF feels such secrets are necessary in 2012.
Hongdu aviation displayed L-15 & K-8 models at 2010 air expo. So may be a sale occurred then, and would be part of the Air Expo 2012 suprise.
Also, the chief of PLAAF gave the NAF boss Air marshall Umar a private tour of chinese aviation industry some years back. I don’t think he got that red carpet treatment for nothing.
May be the senselessness, of refurbishing and upgrading existing NAF jet trainers, dawned on them, as that expense, is better put towards brand new jet trainers like the L-15 that can actually functon as lead in trainers for the J-10b, J-11 or the SU-30MK.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Remember Nigeria purchased 12 units F-7N and 3 trainer jets, if you put the puzzle together it is
certainly coming to nigeria, but cheap chinese imports of trainers jets again? i am not in support
as they shall be falling down one after the other like birds shot with slings.
Please lets buy the real thing from reputable countries
Gentlemen, PROVIDED that this is all about a TRAINER fleet upgrade rather than a cheap attempt at circumventing the necessity for our prescribed Su-27/30s, I really would not mind. Supersonic or not, it is no replacement for what we need. Its 550km combat radius barely covers a return flight between Warri and Uyo in the Niger Delta. It cannot even cover a return flight between Biu and Monguno, two garrison towns inside Borno State! We had better not cut corners anywhere.
For a frontline deep strike jet, we need to make it standard practice to ONLY acquire jets which can handle the 1,000 mile one-way flight between Lagos and Lake Chad on internal fuel and with its panoply of armaments. That is why the obvious choice is the Su-30 and the longer-ranged Su-27. We have already prescribed that we move towards swapping twelve F7 jets for eight JH-7A Flying Leopard which is the only Chinese-made jet bar the J11 (cloned from the Su-27) which is able to do the Lagos-Lake Chad lap of honour on account of its 1,100 mile combat radius.
Otherwise, nobody should swamp us with baby jets. As things stand, we own 50-60 advanced trainers – Aermacchi, Albatros and Alpha Jet types of an earlier generation which have begun to be put through upgrade programmes. If I had my way, I would advance the Aermacchi upgrades to the CD variant which should bring them in line with lead-in fighter trainers for Rafale and Typhoon jets. That is twelve airframes. Then, we upgrade eight Alpha Jet and eight Albatros and have the rest 20-24 units of both aircraft types put into storage and/or scrapped for spares.
Personally, if they grab eight units of Hongdu L15 Falcon, I really do not mind. The same firm produce the Karakorum K8 which are flying in Bolivia, Venezuela, Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe and FRANKLY, they appear to have very good safety records flying those planes. On paper, the L15 Falcon is supposed to be a better jet than the K8 which has done well in the service of end-users.
Well, wats d big deal? D hongdu L15 re nt comin or dey re nt 4 us. Its sad d NAF hav nt done anyrting big dis year while d NN re havin all d Glory in d nigeria military
MILAN says
Intended for the Kenya Air Force. First
batch of trainers for a new fleet of 4th
Gen fighters.