The People's Goal reported that a Military Council aircraft was shot down by the Kachin Independence Army in northern Shan State and Air Force sources identified it as an FTC-2000G light fighter jet.

People's Goal is an organization assisting soldiers seeking to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and defect from the Military Council.

On January 16th, KIA successfully shot down a Military Council fighter jet that was engaged in bombing attacks during the clashes in the Namhpatkar area of northern Shan State.

"The news that the fighter jet was shot down is true. A recently purchased dual-seat FTC-2000G was shot down, and the condition of the two pilots is currently unknown”, an Air Force source confirmed to People’s Goal.

According to Wikipedia, the Guizhou JL-9, also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle, is a family of two-seat supersonic advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Import/Export Company. FTC-2000G is a variant of FTC-2000 and one of the cheapest light fighters on the market. The estimated average cost of these fighter jets is approximately $8.5 million.

The aircraft took off from Namhsan airbase, was shot down during a bombing mission over Namhpatkar.

People's Goal has learned that the Military Council has acquired six FTC-2000Gs from China, and they have been stationed in Namhsan since November 2023.

Earlier, KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu confirmed to the media that KIA successfully shot down a Military Council fighter jet during the battle in which the KIA attempted to capture the 123rd Infantry Battalion base in Namhpatkar.

Photo caption: An FTC-2000G fighter jet seen at a Chinese air show