On May 20, after a Chinese-made fighter jet crashed, the British manufacturer celebrated joyfully: Our product worked!
The crash itself was bad news, but Martin-Baker, the UK-based company, saw it differently. On May 20, the FT-7PG crashed near Mianwali Airport due to a technical fault, rendering the aircraft completely destroyed. Both pilots activated their ejection seats and successfully escaped.
Once the news spread, Martin-Baker quickly issued a statement. Local Pakistani media and military bloggers were the first to report the incident, followed by widespread coverage across major news outlets. According to Sina News, Martin-Baker updated their ejection seat "rescue counter" to officially confirm that both pilots had used the PK10LZ ejection seat and successfully ejected.
The FT-7PG trainer aircraft operated by the Pakistan Air Force began delivery in late 2001, having now been in service for about 25 years. The earlier variant of the JH-7P acquired at the same time has an age exceeding 30 years, with accident rates already soaring—most have since been retired.
The FT-7PG’s original platform, the MiG-21, was designed in the 1950s. It suffers from poor takeoff and landing handling characteristics and extremely limited rear-seat visibility. While experienced pilots might manage, it is unfriendly to new trainees. The Pakistan Air Force has long relied on these outdated aircraft to train new pilots, creating obvious safety hazards.
On May 20, this aircraft, designated No. 685, was conducting routine training missions near Mianwali in Punjab Province. Suddenly, an engine malfunction occurred mid-air. Realizing something was wrong, both pilots immediately initiated the ejection sequence. Their high-altitude ejection indicates the aircraft was still at a significant altitude when the failure occurred, giving the ejection seat ample time to respond. The landing process wasn't easy—there were reports of injuries—but both pilots survived. There were no casualties on the ground, and the wreckage fell into farmland, leaving a large crater.
The ejection seat responsible for this rescue is the PK10LZ model, part of Martin-Baker's MK10 series of zero-zero ejection seats. This type of seat can function effectively at zero altitude and zero airspeed—meaning even if the aircraft is stationary on the ground, the seat can eject the pilot and automatically deploy the parachute. The FT-7PG is equipped with such seats. When Pakistan procured the J-7P and JH-7P variants back in 1988, they specifically required Martin-Baker products, ultimately installing the MK10 zero-zero ejection seats.
The reason the Pakistan Air Force does not use domestically produced Chinese HTY series ejection seats is not because China cannot manufacture them—it certainly can. Rather, it's because Pakistani pilots are accustomed to Western equipment. Their F-16s and Mirage series aircraft all use Martin-Baker seats, and decades of habit are hard to change. Thus, China must install Martin-Baker seats into its own aircraft before exporting them to Pakistan.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865939048734740/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.