Song Wencong, Chinese aircraft designer and academic, Died at 85

Song Wencong was born on March 26, 1930, in Kunming, Yunnan and died on March 22, 2016.

He was a Chinese aircraft designer.

He was responsible for the development of the single seat version of the Chengdu J-10.

Song was a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

His hometown was in Dali, Yunnan.

Mr. Wencong joined a youth organization of the Communist Party of China by the end of 1948.

In July 1949, Song had registered in the Yunnan-Guangxi-Guizhou border region column of PLA as a scout.

Song joined the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army to fight against the American-led United Nations forces in May 1951 in the Korean War.

He was accepted to Harbin Institute of Military Engineering (now Harbin Engineering University) in August 1954, where he majored in aircraft engine at the Air Force Engineering Department.

Following his graduation in July 1960, Wencong was assigned to Shenyang 601 Design District as a designer.

Wencong was a designer of Chengdu 611 Design District from 1970 to 1974, and he was elected deputy chief designer for 1977 and chief designer for 1980.

He was appointed chief designer of the Chengdu J-10, at 56 yrs old.

Wencong was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, in 2003.

Wencong was honored as one of the top ten people touching China in 2009.

He was at 301 Military Hospital in Beijing when he died.

Song Wencong passed away at 85 yrs old.