KJ-600: Chinese carrier-capable AEW: developments, news, progress ...
- Thread starter Bltizo
- Start date
Hi Deino,And another major news... the first clear images - ok, at least parts of it - of the XAC KJ-600 carrierborne AEW.
And the most important piece is this...
(Images via @angadow from Weibo)
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The striptease had begun, can't wait to see her in full grandeur.
There is also a very subtle difference: the two outermost vertical stabilizers on E-2 series have the longer pieces below the horizontal stabilizer, and the shorter pieces above the horizontal stabilizer. While on the KJ-600, The shorter pieces are below the horizontal stabilizer, and the longer pieces above the horizontal stabilizer.
The nose gear oleo strut seems unusually long. Could it be that the nose gear is specifically designed to Compress a lot under catapult pull, and then forcefully Un compress at the end of the catapult run to help the aircraft pitch up? Recall the McDonnell Douglas F-4K has precisely this feature to help it take off from british carriers. If this feature indeed exists on the Chinese AWAC, It suggest the aircraft is very heavy, much heavier than E-2, and right on the edge of the catapult’s ability to launch it.
E-2 is quite small and cramped. Wouldn't be surprising if KJ600 was designed as a somewhat larger and heavier plane, with more room for electronics/control personnel/fuel or simply future growth space. It already seems half a meter to a meter longer, judging by that one satellite image, and it's impossible to tell yet if its fuselage has a bit bigger diameter, for example.