Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution,
Beijing, PRC; 13 Aug 08
The splendidly named Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution is located in downtown Beijing, and is accessible via its own station on the Beijing Metro. The building itself is a rather grand, and typically Communist, edifice, and admission is free, although identification (passport for foreigners) is required for a ticket to be issued.
The museum has a large number of artifacts and displays relating to modern conflicts that China has been involved in, and displays of current and recent military hardware, including several interesting aircraft.
The first of these is a Russian built MiG-15 jet fighter, in North Korean markings, but in fact flown by a Chinese pilot during the Korean War. The aircraft is imaginatively displayed in front of a large mural depicting a dogfight between MiGs and USAF F-86 Sabres.
Although the MiG-15 on display was built in Russia, later MiG designs were manufactured in China, under license. Factories responsible for producing these aircraft were, and in fact still are, named according to their location. The factory at Shenyang has long been known for producing fighter aircraft, and the other aircraft displayed inside the building were all Shenyang products.
First of these was the local version of the MiG-17 'Fresco', the Shenyang J-5.
Displayed alongside was a Shenyang J-6, the locally produced version of the MiG-19S 'Farmer'. Shenyang produced several versions of the J-6, including radar and missile equipped versions, similar to the MiG-19PM, but the aircraft on display is the original, basic J-6 design.
The next 2 aircraft in the line-up provided an interesting comparison. The first was a Shenyang J-7, known in Russia as a MiG-21F. This early version of the ubiqitous 'Fishbed' was the mainstay of the PLAAF fighter force for many years, and when the air force required a larger, heavier interceptor, with a longer range, the Shenyang company took the unusual, but logical, step of scaling up the proven J-7 design to produce the J-8 'Finback'. The J-8 retained the configuration of the J-7, but was much larger, with 2 engines. In the Military Museum, the 2 designs are displayed side by side, allowing easy comparison.
Outside the main exhibition hall, there is a further covered area, in which several more aircraft are displayed. Some of these are Chinese, and some are from China's adversaries, having been captured, shot down, or delivered by defection. Of interest amongst the Chinese types is a Nanchang A-5 attack aircraft, developed from the J-6/MiG-19 family. Also displayed is the wreckage of a U-2, painted in Republic of China (Taiwan) colours, but almost certainly a US aircraft, shot down over China.
The Military Museum is an interesting day out in downtown Beijing, and contains some aircraft which are rare outside China. Particularly impressive is the J-8 Finback, a real beast of an aircraft, and the attractive Nanchang A-5.
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