PLA AEW&C, SIGINT, EW and MPA thread

[asif iqbal]

From defence blog


Time to check in with our old friends at the 2nd "Specialized" Division, PLA Naval Aviation. It now has:
3x Y-8X Maritime Patrol Aircraft
4x Y-8J AWACS aircraft with British GEC-Marconi Argus-2000 radar,
6x KJ200 "Balance Beam" AEW Aircraft
4x Y-8GX8 ELINT Aircraft
1x Y8C Basic Y-8 Transport Aircraft
4x Y-8GX2 ELINT Aircraft

 

[Totoro]

The Skymaster radar had air search modes added on top of searchwaters martime search modes. Basically, it retains its maritime search capability.
And in light of much better and numerou sAEW platforms, I would be surprised if those Y8J are being used in AEW role. It'd be more logical to employ them primarily for maritime patrol.

Also, some sources keep saying 6 radar sets were sold. Were 2 sets not used?

 

[Blitzo]

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This link has a series of pictures of KJ-500 from 81.cn, but the most interesting is this one below showing the cabin of KJ-500. It's blurred out, but we can see there are 5-6 consoles there in the cabin. We can also see the general appearance of the consoles. I think this is the first picture we've had of the interior of KJ-500's cabin. Naturally it looks to be ahead of what we saw on KJ-200 a number of years ago, the consoles in particular.

It is interesting to note that the line of consoles is not significantly integrated into the side fuselage of the cabin, with some of the back end equipment exposed. I think the most logical reason for that would be allowing ease of upgrades and/or maintenance.

 

[SamuraiBlue]

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This link has a series of pictures of KJ-500 from 81.cn, but the most interesting is this one below showing the cabin of KJ-500. It's blurred out, but we can see there are 5-6 consoles there in the cabin. We can also see the general appearance of the consoles. I think this is the first picture we've had of the interior of KJ-500's cabin. Naturally it looks to be ahead of what we saw on KJ-200 a number of years ago, the consoles in particular.

It is interesting to note that the line of consoles is not significantly integrated into the side fuselage of the cabin, with some of the back end equipment exposed. I think the most logical reason for that would be allowing ease of upgrades and/or maintenance.

View attachment 51714

The photo does not look as if it was taken within a plane cabin.
They would not have placed a fake ceiling since it adds weight and reduces over all standing space.
The monitors would have been fixed to the wall as well since the cabin width is not that wide within a plane either.

 

[Blitzo]

The photo does not look as if it was taken within a plane cabin.
They would not have placed a fake ceiling since it adds weight and reduces over all standing space.
The monitors would have been fixed to the wall as well since the cabin width is not that wide within a plane either.

You're really stretching it there, we've had pictures of past Chinese AEW&C cabins as well on different occasions and they are broadly in line with the KJ-500 image.

(one of many below; you can look for others online yourself if you wish)

I hope you're not seriously trying to argue that the KJ-500 cabin picture is faked or something, because that doesn't make much sense even from you.

 

[Blitzo]

The photo does not look as if it was taken within a plane cabin.
They would not have placed a fake ceiling since it adds weight and reduces over all standing space.
The monitors would have been fixed to the wall as well since the cabin width is not that wide within a plane either.

As for a "ceiling," that is not particularly abnormal either. See E-3's cabin

It is certainly different practice for the KJ-500 to not have its consoles fixed to the walls which we did see on past aircraft like KJ-200 (the image I posted above), and I did point that out. However in the picture we can clearly see that there is still more than enough practical room available for thoroughfare behind the seats, and there are sound reasons for not installing them flush with the cabin.

 

[SamuraiBlue]

You're really stretching it there, we've had pictures of past Chinese AEW&C cabins as well on different occasions and they are broadly in line with the KJ-500 image.

(one of many below; you can look for others online yourself if you wish)




I hope you're not seriously trying to argue that the KJ-500 cabin picture is faked or something, because that doesn't make much sense even from you.

To my understanding the dimensions within the storage space of the Y-9 which K-500 is based on is overall length 16.2m × width3.2m × height2.35m .
The photos looks too spaced out in both height and width for that those proportions.

 

[Hyperwarp]

The photo does not look as if it was taken within a plane cabin.
They would not have placed a fake ceiling since it adds weight and reduces over all standing space.
The monitors would have been fixed to the wall as well since the cabin width is not that wide within a plane either.

Simulator? or May be ground testing?

 

[Blitzo]

To my understanding the dimensions within the storage space of the Y-9 which K-500 is based on is overall length 16.2m × width3.2m × height2.35m .
The photos looks too spaced out in both height and width for that those proportions.

It looks perfectly consistent to me, compared to the large number of past Y-8/9 derived AEW&C, ELINT, SIGINT and EW aircraft:

KJ-200 again

ZDK03

Y-8JB

All of those pictures, including the KJ-500's cabin, all look well within the range of Y-8/9's known fuselage dimensions.

 

[FactsPlease]

Well, the space between wall and work stations look very hazardous to me, esp in a closed, always-shaking and rotating space. Tools or even human body could fall and get stuck in there unexpectedly.

As for fake ceiling, I agree with Bltizo as I saw in maintenance factory that quite a few 737s which transferred into military services also got those.