Xinhua,
A senior manager of a major Chinese aircraft-exporting company said in Cairo on Wednesday that it will sell 250 more K-8 training jets in overseas markets in the next 10 years.
Zeng Wen, vice president of the export department of the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), revealed the ambitious plan at the final day of the 2005 Forum for K-8 International Customers, which kicked off in Cairo on Sunday.
“CATIC has sold 249 K-8 trainers since 1994 to our clients across southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa,” said Zeng.
“We aim to sell 250 more in the next 10 years so that by the year 2015 the total number of K-8 exported will probably reach around 500,” Zeng added.
The 38-year-old aviation engineer believed “sustained quality services” will help CATIC sell more K-8 trainers in the highly competitive international market.
“We're a relative new player in the market, but things are getting better as we offer first-class products with sustained quality services,” Zeng explained.
K-8, which stands for Karakoram-8, is a two-seat advanced training jet and light ground attack aircraft developed by Chinese and Pakistani engineers.
The aircraft is designed to provide basic flying training with capacity for light air-to-ground close support.
Egyptian Air Forces has been the largest receiver of the K-8 trainers since CATIC signed a contract of 347.4 million US dollars in 1999 with the Egyptian Defense Department to export 80 K-8E aircraft, an Egyptian version of the K-8 series.
