PLA AEW&C, SIGINT, EW and MPA thread

[Blitzo]

A-100? China's KJ-3000 is leagues ahead.

Not an exaggeration to say that the A-100 is only near the level and capability of the earliest KJ-500 units, let alone KJ-700 and KJ-3000.

I think he means it in reference to A-100 having a rotating radome, and in jest.

Of course, a rotating radome is far from an uncommon arrangement for AEW&C birds, and even if KJ-3000 and A-100 somewhat share a superficial appearance (modern AEW&C on modernized strategic transport airframes with rotating radomes), they both exist in context of A-50, KJ-2000, E-3 etc anyhow so it's probably better just to not reference them with one another.

 

[Gloire_bb]

A-100? China's KJ-3000 is leagues ahead.

Not an exaggeration to say that the A-100 is only near the level and capability of the earliest KJ-500 units, let alone KJ-700 and KJ-3000.

Sounds reasonable. Please educate me on capabilities of both aircraft.

I think he means it in reference to A-100 having a rotating radome, and in jest.

Simple there's only one modern heavy AWACS aircraft other than kj-3000.

 

[SinoAmericanCW]

China should definitely manufacture many hundreds of these type(s) of UAVs to supplement her manned AEW&C fleets.

My thoughts exactly. With KJ-3000, and perhaps also KJ-700/H, serving as the control nodes behind a dense WZ-9 picket.

With this and the 6th gens, we're seeing China's MUMT network take shape!

 

[Blitzo]

Sounds reasonable. Please educate me on capabilities of both aircraft.

I think the notion of comparing contemporary Russian AEW&C aircraft (and requisite subsystems) and contemporary PRC AEW&C aircraft (and requisite subsystems) is the problem to begin with lol.

Simple there's only one modern heavy AWACS aircraft other than kj-3000.

Well, there's KJ-2000 as well, which very much is modern as well.

 

[Gloire_bb]

I think the notion of comparing contemporary Russian AEW&C aircraft (and requisite subsystems) and contemporary PRC AEW&C aircraft (and requisite subsystems) is the problem to begin with lol.

I don't see it.

There's old Russia trauma in sinowatching community due to two decades of Russiarussiarussia trolling.
I could understand Deino being traumatized by endless Indian Twitter attacks, but we're on 2024 sinodefense? Not a problem here.

Precisely because it isn't the case anymore, it's time to get over that. We now can simply compare systems on merits.

A-100 is but a convenient list of declared contemporary AEW capabilities concept.

West didn't produce heavy AEW since e-767, believing in space solution (probably from star wars level experts on subject); China won't tell us much for next 50 years. It'll hint, but after that we need reference points to understand hints.
We have one, and ignoring it because of past decade is simply below dignity of what is achieved by China.

Well, there's KJ-2000 as well, which very much is modern as well.

KJ-2000 was 2000s system of emerging China, built from a very different (1990s) air fighting doctrine.
IMHO it is at most a respectable ancestor, which helped to inform the future.

And (again , no Russia trauma) A-100 here is a good example of dual-band, oversized rotating twin AESA array, forming theater level information space through fusion with extremely developed onboard ELINT and bidirectional offboard sources.
Working also as a theater EW attack and theater vlraam/pgm guidance/cca control node.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

View attachment 141964
2x rotating array of maximum diameter.
If it's dual-band one(not unlikely), then a-100.cn was just born

question - how do you know it is a rotating array?

KJ-2000 did not have a rotating array, it had 3 static arrays arranged triangularly within a round radome.

Is there any evidence that there is rotation of the array?

 

[Blitzo]

I don't see it.

There's old Russia trauma in sinowatching community due to two decades of Russiarussiarussia trolling.
I could understand Deino being traumatized by endless Indian Twitter attacks, but we're on 2024 sinodefense?

Precisely because it isn't the case anymore, it's time to get over that. We now can simply compare systems on merits.
A-100 is but a convenient list of declared contemporary AEW capabilities concept.
West didn't produce heavy AEW since e-767, China won't tell us much for next 50 years. It'll hint, but after that we need reference points.
We have one, and ignoring it because of past decade is simply below dignity of what is achieved.

KJ-2000 was 2000s system of emerging China, built from a very different (1990s) air fighting doctrine.
IMHO it is at most a respectable ancestor, which helped to inform the future.

And (again , no Russia trauma) A-100 here is a good example of dual-band, oversized rotating twin AESA array, forming theater level information space through fusion with extremely developed onboard ELINT and bidirectional offboard sources.
Working also as a theater EW attack and theater vlraam/pgm guidance/cca control node.

I am sure that A-100 is a relatively capable AEW&C, and theoretically we do not know how the KJ-3000 compares with it, in "theory".

However, what I am saying is that you're really choosing a questionable hill to defend, and it would have been much easier to simply omit any direct comparison between A-100 and KJ-3000. By doing so, you're just going to create a few pages of useless debate that can't be settled by anyone here with the limited public knowledge we have and will just come to differing opinions about the likely estimated capabilities of key AEW&C related subsystems of the Russian and PRC aerospace industries.


It's just an unforced error.

question - how do you know it is a rotating array?

KJ-2000 did not have a rotating array, it had 3 static arrays arranged triangularly within a round radome.

Is there any evidence that there is rotation of the array?

We can actually identify on KJ-3000's underside picture (post 3218) showing its rotodome, has a single horizontal "strip" running across its centre, which is the definitive tell for a radome being a rotodome (it means there are one or two arrays present, requiring rotation for 360 degree coverage).

For a KJ-2000 esque (or KJ-500) arrangement, you will not see a horizontal "strip" but rather a "triangle" instead.

 

[Fatty]

Speaking of which, what do we have here?

View attachment 141965

Video of said WZ-9 AEW UAV in flight:

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According to @万年炎帝, the WZ-9 has already been deployed (i.e. in active service). China should definitely manufacture many hundreds of these type(s) of UAVs to supplement her manned AEW&C fleets.

Can someone explain why you would still want KJ3000s and manned AEWC rather than manufacturing these in bulk? From what I understand the main measure of how useful an AEWC is how much area its radar can cover. Also does US have something similar to this?

 

[manqiangrexue]

View attachment 141893

Through the years, we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

This is the biggest "Fuck Your Holiday Season" I have ever seen to the US. There is more collective nervousness in the Pentagon right now than a roach in mouse hole with a caw pat outside, a pitbull slobbering behind the cat, a panther stalking behind the pitbull and a grizzly bear thumping around behind the panther cus there's still 3 days left until New Years Day is over and anything can happen in 3 days with China apparently. I thought it was slightly odd that Xi rejected Trump's invite to his inauguration; I thought he'd want to keep up images of the possibility of an amicable term but this says to me China is looking to get ugly with America starting right now.

 

[SinoAmericanCW]

Can someone explain why you would still want KJ3000s and manned AEWC rather than manufacturing these in bulk? From what I understand the main measure of how useful an AEWC is how much area its radar can cover. Also does US have something similar to this?

China will likely do both.

Besides, KJ-3000 can play roles that WZ-9 can't. For one, it can coordinate the WZ-9 fleet. It also puts the "&C" in the "AEW", whereas the WZ-9 is only the latter - i.e. KJ-3000 is an airborne command post and not only an early warning picket.

It also likely will field a more powerful radar system, as well as other subsystems such as an EO/IR tracker.

The future of air combat, at least for the next few decades, is MUMT rather than just UAVs.