PLA AEW&C, SIGINT, EW and MPA thread
- Thread starter Sczepan
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This could be the upgraded Y-8Q ASW that Huitong has speculated. The tail sting (magnetic anomaly detector) certainly looks different.
Indeed ...
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by78
General
I remember early last year there was a news blurb about a special mission aircraft going through the certification process. I think it very well could be talking about the improved KQ-200.
by78
General
I looked and looked, but that's the only image I have.
Quite interesting comments from Shilao podcast on Gen Wilsbach interview regarding KJ-500. They mentioned that USAF normally has an advantage because they don't deal with foes that can have constant AWACS presence. So they can just probe radar defense in normal times and then do low altitude penetration around radar stations to reach their intended target. Even when China just had KJ-2000 and KJ-200, they still couldn't completely blanket air space due to the low number of KJ-2000 (4 would only allow 1 to maintain 24 hour coverage) and weaknesses in KJ-200 radar. KJ-500s are inducted in large numbers, so they can always have a couple waiting there to detect intruders. And they can be used to provide targeting/guidance for long range AAMs like PL-15 or PL-XX.
They mentioned KJ-500 provides an advantage over E-3, which is deficient in quantity (only 4 in Pacific region) and technlogy. And also advantage over E-2, which is a small platform and can only scramble 2 at a time.
When I hear about KJ-500, I can't help but thinking about the need to add in more Divine Eagle and similar UAVs into service. That would allow them to have UHF band AEW coverage over East China Sea. You could have them stationed maybe 250 km outside of Korean or Japanese air bases that station F-22/35 and detect them as they fly out.
They mentioned KJ-500 provides an advantage over E-3, which is deficient in quantity (only 4 in Pacific region) and technlogy. And also advantage over E-2, which is a small platform and can only scramble 2 at a time.
When I hear about KJ-500, I can't help but thinking about the need to add in more Divine Eagle and similar UAVs into service. That would allow them to have UHF band AEW coverage over East China Sea. You could have them stationed maybe 250 km outside of Korean or Japanese air bases that station F-22/35 and detect them as they fly out.
The PLA's relatively large scale procurement of AEW&C aircraft -- which does not appear to be abating even now -- is something that has frankly impressed and somewhat surprised me.
The four original KJ-2000 and the 10-11 original KJ-200s produced for the PLAAF and PLANAF have been supplanted by at least 20+ KJ-500s built for the PLAAF and PLANAF, with production of KJ-500s continuing and recapitalization of the KJ-200s occurring as well.
Their medium-large AEW&C fleet is probably approaching 40 airframes now, if not exceeded that -- all while continued KJ-500 production is happening.
I wouldn't be surprised if their ultimate medium-large AEW&C fleet ends up with 50 or even 60 aircraft.
The importance of a large, and modern AEW&C fleet with high readiness cannot be understated, both for peacetime operations and for wartime, and in most air forces, AEW&C aircraft are the most common type that is part of the "high demand, low density" category, due to how in demand they are for a variety of missions and how relatively few airframes there are to fulfill them.
Among the many issues that the Russian VKS has faced over Ukraine, is their lack of modern AEW&C in both qualitative modernization but more importantly in quantitative availability.
With only 7 modernized A-50Us prior to the conflict, and 16 A-50s overall in service in total (likely with subpar availability of the older types), that simply is not a sufficiently sized fleet to provide the kind of persistent airborne coverage you need for a theater the size of Ukraine, while also being able to conduct key air surveillance and air policing missions that Russia needs in the other geostrategic directions of its territory.
Going into the future, for both peacetime and for high intensity conflicts in wartime, AEW UAVs are of course going to emerge and significantly supplement medium-large manned AEW&C aircraft. Divine Eagle, and/or a more capable flying wing successor, are likely to be part of such capabilities for the PLA.
However, I think continued procurement of KJ-500s (especially if they are IFR capable, and modification of existing KJ-500s to be IFR capable), will be important to ensure a large fleet of medium-large fixed wing AEW&C.
The maturation of KJ-600 I think may also prove to be useful for land based AEW&C purposes -- obviously the aircraft is much smaller and less capable than KJ-500, and it is primarily for carrier operations.... however I think it may have a smaller logistics footprint than KJ-500 and may be able to operate from more austere environments as well.
I think a large purchase of KJ-600s (say, some 30-40 aircraft, or even more) for a land based austere/rapid deployment AEW&C capability may prove to be very useful in greatly hardening the PLA's overall manned fixed wing AEW&C capability.
40 odd KJ-600s for land based operations, in addition to some 50-60 KJ-500/2000/200s, for a total land based AEW&C fleet, would likely be very flexible and high capacity as well.
This doesn't include whatever number of KJ-600s they have to buy for carrier based AEW&C operations of course.
Actually, this one got past me! For some reason, I thought KJ-500 was the same size as KJ-600.
Is China the first nation to develop a mid-sized turbo-prop, radome, AWACS platform?
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