Chengdu F-7A * Retired *
Twelve F-7A delivered from China in November 1970 in crates and assembled by Chinese technicians. First flight after assembly was in December 1970. The Chengdu F-7A is a Chinese copy of the Mikoyan-Gurevitch MiG-21F-13 Fishbed-C, and the Albanian examples are from one of the first batches of the type built in China. Used for the interceptor role by 4020 Regt at Rinas until May 1976 and then transferred to 4010 Regiment at Lezhë (Gjader). In 2000 the remaining two operational aircraft moved back to Rinas.

Note: The Albanian aircraft are early production examples, and thus actually built at Shenyang, not Chengdu. Twenty-two serials are reported for these twelve aircraft - two have been lost so presumably the 10 survivors were reserialled at some unknown date.

Serial	c/no.	Prev. Identity	Delivered	Fate/Notes
0201	020201		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0202	020202		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0203	020203		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0204	020204		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0205	020205		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0206	020206		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0207	020207		1972	noted 2003 at Rinas, stored Rinas May 2006
0208			1972
0209	020209		1972	noted 2003 at Rinas, stored Rinas May 2006
0210	020210		1972	stored Gjader May 2006
0211			19??
0212			19??
0213			19??
0214			19??
0215			19??
0216			19??
0217			19??
0218			19??
0219			19??
0220			19??
0234			19??
0304	020214		1972	stored Gjader May 2006

Known losses: one a/c in 1974 (technical fault) and one a/c on 29 March 1982 (birdstrike).

References:

1. Air International December 1992
2. Aerospace Encyclopedia of the World's Air Forces (Aerospace, 1999)
3. Air Forces Research March 1996
4. Air Forces Monthly April 2004
5. European Air Forces Directory 2005/06 (Mach III)