J-8 or Jian-8 is a People's Republic of China-built fighter aircraft. Its main role is to serve as an interceptor. It has two engines, and has a maximum speed of mach 2.2. Being an interceptor, the aircraft has one-seat and is armed with two cannons and six hardpoints for missiles, bombs, rockets or fuel tanks.
The plane's design began in 1964 and is the first Chinese plane to be designed and built indigenously. Despite design beginning in 1964 it was not produced until 1979 and it entered service in 1980. Its basic frame is an enlargement of the MiG-21, and despite it entering service relatively late, it remains very unmaneuverable, comparable to many older Soviet aircraft. The intially designed J-8 has thus begun to be upgraded, wtih the newest variant known as the J-8IIM.
The J-8IIM is a much improved version of the original J-8 and is comparable to the F-16 and Mirage 2000. The J-8IIM also appears slightly different than the J-8, the J-8 resembling a longer MiG-21 while the J-8IIM has a different nose structure.
There are currently about 150 J-8s serving in the PLAAF, that number is expected to grow in the next ten years.