F-7 Retirement Planning: Managing the Transition from Legacy MiG-21 Derivatives

The Chengdu F-7 and J-7 family are Chinese-produced derivatives of the Soviet MiG-21, still in service with multiple air forces after more than five decades of production. As structural age and parts availability combine to make continued operation increasingly difficult, operators face a transition challenge that requires structured planning well before the retirement date arrives. […]