FL-7

In addition to developing the C-101 and C-301 supersonic anti-ship missiles which are fairly large in size, China has developed FL-7 (FL: Fei Long, meaning Flying Dragon) supersonic anti-ship missile which can be carried on airplanes and warships. The Feilong-7 has an effective range of 32 kilometers and a speed of Mach 1.4. It has powerful anti-jamming capability and its supersonic flight makes terminal interception difficult. The warhead of the FL-7 can pierce solid armor and destroy large and medium-sized surface warships. This missile can be roughly considered as the supersonic counterpart of the subsonic C-704 anti-ship missile. The missile is powered by a liquid fuel rocket motor and a solid rocket booster, which is under the airframe at the rear.

FL-7
Typeanti-ship, and air-to-surface missiles
Place of originChina
Service history
In servicelate 1980s–present
Used byChina
Production history
ManufacturerHongdu Aviation Industry Corporation
Produced1980s–1990s
Specifications
Mass1.77 ton
Length6.59 meter
Diameter0.54 meter
Warhead360 kg warhead
Detonation
mechanism
Semi-armor-piercing

Enginerocket motor
Wingspan1.86 meter
Propellantliquid fuel
Operational
range
32 km
Flight altitude5 to 50 cruising
Maximum speed Mach 1.4
Guidance
system
ARH
Launch
platform
Air & ground

Along with C-101, FL-7 competed for the air-launched supersonic anti-ship missile program in China during the 1990s. However, C-101 was selected because it flies at faster speed and its range is nearly a third greater than that of FL-7, while it only weighs slightly heavier. Being the last Chinese anti-ship missile with rocket motor powered by liquid fuel, the role of FL-7 is decreasing, but not yet immediately phased out. The reason is that the Chinese coastal defense doctrine when using anti-ship missiles: multi-direction, multi-altitude, multiple waves attacks on targets with both supersonic and subsonic anti-ship missiles to make it difficult for the targets to defend itself from such saturated attacks, FL-7 is thus still have a little role to play in such saturated attacks at shorter range. However, it is safe to conclude that as newer missiles becoming widely available, the role of FL-7 would continuously decrease to its eventual retirement.

Western sources have claimed in 1996, with Chinese help in the forms of technology sales, that Iran had begun indigenous production of a medium-range anti-ship missile, based on the technologies of FL-7.

  • Length: 6.59 m
  • Diameter: 0.54 m
  • Weight: 1,770 kg
  • Wingspan: 1.86 m
  • Warhead: 360 kg
  • Speed: > Mach 1.4
  • Range: 32 km max.
  • Guidance: active radar homing seeker (Other types of seekers being developed)
  • Propulsion: one liquid rocket engine with a solid rocket booster

References

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