(Photo :  A Q-5 attacker)
According to Xinhua Net, around 10:29 a.m. on August 23^rd, a Q-5 attack aircraft of Shenyang Air Force crashed in a cornfield of Lianhua town, Dalian City during flight training. It is said the aircraft pilot gave up the opportunity to parachute to avoid falling into the densely populated region and sacrificed. There were no other casualties reported. The cause of the accident is still under investigation at present.

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Now, it has been confirmed the crashed aircraft is a Nanchang Q-5 attack aircraft. The Nanchang Q-5 is a Chinese-built jet ground-attack aircraft based on the Soviet MiG-19. Its main role is close air support. It is a twin-engine, single-seat, supersonic ground attack aircraft developed by Nanchang-based Hongdu Aircraft Industry Group. Through the PLA has been seeking a replacement to this forty-year-old design since the 1970s, but with no success. Instead, the aircraft has been steadily upgraded with new weapons and avionics to extend its service life.

The Q-5A nuclear bomber version can carry nuclear weapons during wartime. It can also be equipped with air-to-air missiles under each wing. On December 30^th, 1971, Yang Guoxiang took off from the airbase in a Q-5A and headed toward the target, ground zero at Lop Nor. Twelve kilometers (7.5 miles) from the target, he started his 45-degree-angle climb, and released a hydrogen bomb at 1,200 meters (3,936 feet). Later, on January 7^th, 1972, Yang Guoxiang went on another attempt and dropped a hydrogen bomb successfully in a Q-5A.