A large Chinese amphibious maritime patrol aircraft developed for long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare.
Development
Harbin SH-5 was developed by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation in People’s Republic of China as a maritime-combat aircraft. The family first flew in 1976 and entered service in 1986. Its recorded airframe configuration is fixed wing, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.
Operational History
Operationally, Harbin SH-5 is represented primarily in the maritime-combat aircraft role. The sourced variant records include service with People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force. The current structured record does not attach a specific conflict authority to this family; operational context remains limited to sourced service and role data. Role tags attached to the family include anti submarine and anti ship.
Variants and Lineage
Major variants represented in the structured record include SH-5.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| SH-5 | Production | Maritime Combat | People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force |
Representative specifications
Configuration-specific profiles are shown separately so values from different variants are not blended into one false “standard” aircraft.
SH-5 — C016 baseline technical profile
- Crew
- 8
Powerplant: 4 × Dongan WJ-5A turboprops
Armament: Maritime weapons included torpedoes, depth weapons, mines, and anti-ship stores by configuration.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1978-79 — Jane’s Yearbooks · Tier 3