An improved version of China's new generation fighter plane, Xiaolong/FC-1 (or Fierce Dragon), proved successful in its third test flight Friday morning at Wenjiang Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The seven-minute trial flight revealed good performance, according to experts.

The plane, the result of a cooperation program between China and Pakistan, named as Thunder/JF-17 in Pakistan, made its first test flight successful on Aug. 25 last year. The success was listed by the public as one of the top ten scientific and technological achievements of China in 2003.

China planned the development of a new generation fighter plane in the late 1980s and a program development consortium was formed to carry out the task. The program was officially launched in 1999and was led by China Aviation Industry Corporation I, the leading operator of the aerospace industry in the country.

The next test-flight for the fighter plane will take place next year to test onboard electronic device and weapons.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2004)