Manufacturer catalog

Nanchang Aircraft Company

Nanchang Aircraft Company was a Chinese state aircraft manufacturer in Nanchang, Jiangxi, associated with Plant 320, the Q-5/A-5 Fantan attack aircraft, early Chinese MiG-19/J-6 license-production work, and the industrial lineage that later operated publicly as Hongdu Aviation Industry Group under AVIC.

2 weapons

The Nanchang enterprise grew from the state-run Hongdu Machinery-building Factory founded in 1951 into Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, before the organization was renamed Hongdu Aviation Industry (Group) Corporation in 1998. Public English-language references use Nanchang, NAMC, Plant 320, and Hongdu labels across different periods, so the manufacturer context is best read as a legacy Chinese aviation-production lineage rather than a single unchanged legal name.

Its catalog-relevant work sits at the transition from propeller-aircraft repair and trainer production to jet-aircraft and missile manufacturing. GlobalSecurity describes Nanchang Aircraft Factory as receiving Soviet-derived MiG-19/J-6 technical material through Shenyang, producing MiG-19P/PM aircraft in Nanchang, and then using that experience as a foundation for indigenous jet design. The same source identifies Plant 320 as the production center for the Q-5/Fantan attack aircraft and connects China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company to the Q-5/A-5 and the K-8 trainer program.

The public record is strongest for the manufacturing lineage and aircraft programs, not for a complete corporate history. For catalog readers, the useful context is that Nanchang/Plant 320 represents one of the PRC aviation plants that bridged Soviet-assisted production, Chinese trainer output, missile work, and the indigenous Q-5 attack-aircraft family.

military aircraft manufacturingground-attack aircraftjet trainer aircraftlicensed aircraft productionairframe and missile production

Notable Systems

Nanchang Q-5 / A-5, Ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Nanchang Q-5 / A-5

Ground-attack aircraft

GlobalSecurity identifies the Q-5/A-5 as a Nanchang Aircraft Company-developed single-seat, twin-engine supersonic attack aircraft and separately describes Plant 320 as the Fantan production center.

Sources: FANTAN Q-5 / A-5, Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC
Shenyang J-5/J-6, Jet fighter family, Aircraft & UAVs

Shenyang J-5/J-6

Jet fighter family

The catalog's J-5/J-6 family record includes Nanchang because GlobalSecurity describes Nanchang Aircraft Factory as the second Chinese factory assigned to MiG-19/J-6 license production, including Nanchang-built MiG-19P/PM aircraft.

Sources: J-6 Production, Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC
K-8 Karakorum trainer aircraft, Jet trainer / light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

K-8 Karakorum trainer aircraft

Jet trainer / light attack aircraft

GlobalSecurity's CNAMC background says Nanchang Aircraft produced the K-8 trainer, while the catalog record covers the later Hongdu/PAC trainer family and its Chinese-Pakistani production context.

Sources: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC

Manufacturer History

  1. Nanchang Aircraft Factory founded

    GlobalSecurity describes Nanchang Aircraft Factory as founded in May 1951 and later reconstructed as one of the early aviation factories in the People's Republic of China.

    Sources: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC

  2. Soviet-assisted expansion begins

    The factory was placed among the 156 Soviet-assisted major engineering projects, supporting its shift from aircraft repair toward aircraft manufacturing.

    Sources: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC

  3. Jet-aircraft transition and Q-5 assignment

    GlobalSecurity says Chinese aviation authorities decided in 1958 that the Q-5 should be developed by Nanchang Aircraft Factory while the plant moved from propeller-aircraft production toward jet-aircraft work.

    Sources: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC, FANTAN Q-5 / A-5

  4. Nanchang MiG-19P prototype flies

    GlobalSecurity reports that a MiG-19P prototype produced in Nanchang first flew on 1959-09-28 during Nanchang Aircraft Factory's J-6/MiG-19 license-production effort.

    Sources: J-6 Production

  5. Hongdu name adopted

    The Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation lineage was renamed Hongdu Aviation Industry (Group) Corporation in March 1998, with the successor group affiliated to AVIC.

    Sources: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMC, Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group Co Ltd

Predecessors
State-run Hongdu Machinery-building Factory "15"
Successors
Hongdu Aviation Industry (Group) CorporationJiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group Co Ltd
Website links
Hongdu official websiteGlobalSecurity CNAMC backgroundBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre Hongdu profile

Public sources use legacy Nanchang, CNAMC, NAMC, Plant 320, and current Hongdu/AVIC naming for overlapping parts of the same Nanchang aerospace industrial lineage. Hongdu/PAC joint-program naming remains separate where the catalog uses a joint manufacturer record.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Hongdu Aviation Industry Group LTD. (HAIG) - CNAMCPublisher: GlobalSecurity | Note: Supports the Nanchang/CNAMC/Hongdu naming lineage, 1951 founding, Nanchang headquarters context, AVIC affiliation, Plant 320 background, Q-5 production center, K-8 production mention, and transition from propeller aircraft to jet aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • FANTAN Q-5 / A-5Publisher: GlobalSecurity | Note: Supports the Q-5/A-5 as a Nanchang Aircraft Company-developed twin-engine supersonic attack aircraft and the transfer of the Dongfeng 106/Q-5 effort to Nanchang 320 Plant. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • J-6 ProductionPublisher: GlobalSecurity | Note: Supports Nanchang Aircraft Factory's assignment as a MiG-19/J-6 license-production plant, Nanchang-built MiG-19P/PM work, and the production experience that led into Chinese jet-aircraft manufacturing. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group Co LtdPublisher: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Note: Supports current Hongdu website, Nanchang, Jiangxi location, Chinese military aircraft-manufacturer description, and AVIC subsidiary relationship for the successor organization. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Wikimedia Commons: Nanchang Q-5.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the rights-clear Q-5 image; Commons lists the image as own work by Shizhao and released into the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Nanchang Q-5 / A-5, Ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs2003 War in Darfur, 2015 Kokang Offensive +1 moreNanchang Q-5 / A-5Ground-attack aircraftBuilt in: ChinaThe Nanchang Q-5, exported as the A-5 Fantan, is a Chinese single-seat, twin-engine ground-attack aircraft built by Nanchang Aircraft Company from the MiG-19/J-6 lineage. Its redesign moved the intakes to the fuselage sides, emphasized low-altitude attack, and paired 23 mm cannon with bombs, rocket pods, and short-range air-to-air missiles. Export A-5 variants added customer-specific avionics and weapons fits for operators including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sudan.