Aircraft
Local Interest as Chinese Trainers Fly into Dubai
CATIC reports that the UAE has ordered the Hongdu L-15 advanced trainer.
Hongdu L-15
The Hongdu L-15 advanced trainer can pump out different-colored smoke from its two engines. (Photo: David McIntosh)

China’s National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) is displaying a pair of Hongdu L-15A advanced trainers at the Dubai Airshow. One aircraft sits on static display at the company’s outside exhibition, and the other participates in the flying display, exhibiting its maneuverability and the ability to generate different smoke colors from its two engines.

The aircraft arrived in Dubai after flying from Xinjiang in China with a refueling stop in Pakistan. When they arrived they bore serials L15 64 and L15 65 (based on their construction numbers), although the nomenclature was subsequently removed.