(Translated staff articles from Myanmar FACE BOOK posts on 03 January 2023.)
The shot-down
occurred at just before noon on third January while the Mi-17 was delivering
supplies and troops to the Nar-phaut army camp in Waimaw Township near the
Kachin State Capital Myit-kyi-nar.
This is the fourth Myanmar Airforce’s aircraft shot down by a FN-6 MANPAD since 2021. The first one was a Russian Chopper shot down also by KIA near Myothit Town in Moemauk Township on 2012 May-3. Myanmar Army admitted that three Air Force officers were killed then.
The second one
was a YAK fighter-trainer jet shot down in Bakhae Township of Kayah State in
2023 July. The third one was another YAK
fighter-trainer jet shot down in Frusoe Township in 2023 November. The pilot
Major Khaing Thant Moe managed to parachute down but was captured by local
resistance fighters later.
The 43-year-old
pilot was captured after his K-8W fighter jet crashed during a clash in Karenni
State on Nov-11. He ejected from the plane along with his co-pilot, Lieutenant
Zarni Htet Maung, and was arrested on Nov-19. His co-pilot is still missing.
The portable
MANPAD used was one of the China-made FN-6 shoulder-fired missile launchers
supplied to the pro-China Northern Alliance rebel armies through the UWSA
(United Wa State Army) since 2014.
The FN-6 is a
man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) designed and manufactured in
China by the Defense Company Poly Technologies. it is deployed as a two-man
team however, a second soldier is not required to put ready the system to fire
or fire the system. It is a third-generation passive infrared (IR) man-portable
air defense system.
The FN-6 has the
capability of all-direction attack and anti-infrared jamming. The FN-6 is a
fire-and-forget system that is easy to transport and use. The FN-6 is specially
designed to engage low-flying targets flying at or less than 300m/s. The weapon
was specifically designed to be used against targets flying at low and very low
altitudes.
The FN-6 was
developed in parallel with the Qian Wei (QW) missile series. FN-6, or FeiNu-6,
is the export name given to the export version derived from this system, and it
is known as HongYing-6 in the PLA.
The training
simulator of FN-6 is not developed by the contractor of the missile system, but
instead, the simulator is developed by PLA itself after the missile was
purchased, and the general designer of the training simulator of FN-6 is Mr.
Liu Weixing. The training simulator of FN-6 is also used for later versions of
MANPADS developed from FN-6.
Export sales of
the weapon are the responsibility of China National Precision Machinery Import
and Export Corporation, a state-owned trading company responsible for
representing the domestic defense production industry in air defense-related
products.
According to
Janes, the FN-6 is a third-generation, passive infrared, man-portable
air-defense system (MANPADS). It is equipped with a digital infrared seeker
with a strong resistance to flares, solar heat, and heat from the ground.
The
pyramid-shaped nose of the missile houses the four-unit infrared seeker. The
handle of the launcher houses the batteries and cooling system. An IFF antenna
and an optional clip-on optical sight are fitted onto the launcher. The missile
is capable of an all-aspect attack and has a 70% single shot hit probability.
It can engage
targets maneuvering at up to 4 g. When FN-6 MANPADS can be equipped with night
vision equipment, and it can also be equipped with IFF systems, two of which
were shown to the public, one of which is similar in appearance to AN/PPX-1 IFF
of FIM-92 Stinger, while the other IFF system is a fishbone configuration. When
equipped with an IFF system, the name is changed from FN-6 to FY-6, or short
for Fei Ying, meaning Flying Eagle.
Mi-17 Military Transport Helicopter From Russia
The Mi-17
military transport helicopter is designed to carry personnel, cargo and
equipment inside the cargo cabin or on an external sling, drop tactical air
assault forces and reconnaissance and sabotage groups, destroy ground targets
and carry the wounded.
The helicopter
is equipped with a modern avionics suite providing round-the-clock employment
of the helicopter and weapons. Its armament system includes unguided rockets
(up to 80 S-8 80mm unguided aerial rockets), cannons (suspended pods with 23mm
cannons and 250 rounds each) and small arms.
The helicopter
is fitted with a self-defense system against heat seeker missiles,
heavily-armored cockpit, vital systems and components, and features enhanced
survivability.
