KJ-600 carrierborne AEWC thread

[Bhurki]

 

[asif iqbal]

this post getting comments but why is it at the bottom of the page ?

 

[longmarch]

I understand the excitement but is this thing really that difficult to build?
Everyone now assumes China's EMALS would actually work?
Would it be operable from 076, does it make sense to do that?

 

[siegecrossbow]

I would like to add some more to my previous response that I forgot to add. Also for my previous response, I mistakenly quoted terran_empire, I was supposed to quote siegecrossbow.

Your statement is somewhat correct and incorrect. If you mean by China being the second country to develop indigenously an carrier AEW plane specifically for its role, then that is true. But if you mean by China being the second country to build carrier AEW aircraft, that is false. If you also mean by China being the second country to operate carrier AEW aircraft, that is also false.
(read from my previous response for explanation)

The Hawkeye is the first purpose built carrier AEW plane. All preceding carrier AEW planes are either modified/derived from previous existing non-AEW designs. KJ-600 would be second purpose built carrier AEW once it enters service.

I meant still in operation. Should've clarified.

 

[tupolevtu144]

First test flight of China's Xian KJ-600 carrier-borne AEW. The long awaited flight happened on 29/08. The KJ-600 will be deployed on the Type 003 aircraft carrier, currently under construction in Shanghai. The KJ-600 is a twin-engine folding wing aircraft made by XIAC.

Isn't that photo already confirmed to be an E-2 Hawkeye flying over Japan?

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

Some say that the E-2 is an AEW (Airborne Early Warning) and cannot be called an AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System) since the plane's ability to effectively perform a command/control role is very limited. Command and battle management is still being done from the carrier and the Hawkeye's role is primarily to provide radar system enhancement and augmentation.
The E-3 Sentry is a proper AWACS since it carries a more sophisticated and powerful suite of systems and have 13-19 specialists operating the mission control systems compared to the E-2 Hawkeye's 2-3. This allows it enough to effectively perform an autonomous command / control role.

Also, China is not the second country to indigenously complete development of a carrier borne AEW aircraft. US is first, I believe UK is the second, China will become third once KJ-600 finish development.
Here are some pictures of the earlier carrier borne AEW aircraft:

TBM-3W Avenger, the first carrier borne AEW plane.
View attachment 62939

Fairey Gannet AEW.3, the first non-US developed carrier borne AEW plane.
View attachment 62940

I am going to say Nope to the whole thing. As 1) those early birds lacked a lot of capacity as a whole didn’t matter if a large Quad engine transport based or a small single engine.
Today thanks to advances in data links and other systems E2C and D hold there own.
2) Although the airframe is different the AEW3 used the same Radar as the Avenger as such not entirely indigenous beyond the airframe. 3) However I went by the word “Flying” meaning not just able to fly but also in active service off a carrier deck. The Garnet is long retired along with the Avenger and E1 Tracer, their carrier days long over. They don’t fly much anymore at all.
That leaves a single flying carrier qualified Fixed wing AEW. The E2 Hawkeye In service to the USN and French Marine carriers. The KJ600 of course has the potential to join in the future once it has carrier qualified.

 

[siegecrossbow]

View attachment 62947

Chase plane was a J-11BS.

 

[Orthan]

this post getting comments but why is it at the bottom of the page ?

Because its not a sticky thread

 

[Intrepid]

For the purposes of discussion I think the contemporary E-2C and D are considered to have the control capabilities to be deemed an AEW&C. Obviously the command and battle management capabilities of larger land based AEW&C is greater in scope, but E-2C/D do have the requisite threshold to claim to have the "C" of AEW&C.

The E-2 is/was used as land based AEW&C-Aircraft by Egypt, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan (Israel and Taiwan replaced it with "Eitam", a Gulfstream G550-based platform).

So the KJ-600 may also be used as land based variant?

 

[siegecrossbow]

The E-2 is/was used as land based AEW&C-Aircraft by Egypt, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan (Israel and Taiwan replaced it with "Eitam", a Gulfstream G550-based platform).

So the KJ-600 may also be used as land based variant?

They already have KJ-500 for land. Using KJ-600 for land sounds redundant unless they are willing to export it. Only positive side is that they could expand production line for it.