PLA AEW&C, SIGINT, EW and MPA thread
- Thread starter Sczepan
- Start date
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
Poor quality picture but nice to see KJ-500 again
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
Nice !
There seems to be another set of hanger in your pictures in the background ?
First 4 shelters have 4 x KJ-2000 AWACS what do they keep in the other ?
A mix of KJ-2000 and KJ-500 ?
There seems to be another set of hanger in your pictures in the background ?
First 4 shelters have 4 x KJ-2000 AWACS what do they keep in the other ?
A mix of KJ-2000 and KJ-500 ?
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
Has there been any more shelters built at this base ? That would tell us if they plan to expand either replace or compliment
A good number of KJ-500 AWACS should be produced since it's offers a very good capability for size of the platform
A good number of KJ-500 AWACS should be produced since it's offers a very good capability for size of the platform
This is actually a fairly decent article on the PLA's AEW&C planes from warisboring
I do think the author makes a mistake in the idea that the PLA should "settle" on an AEW&C design; it is only now with KJ-500 that I think PLA has a reliably sourced airframe and a 360 degree radar with assorted other capabilities that have reached a point where it satisifies most of the little nitty gritty requirements they'll have.
That isn't to say KJ-200 is a poor AEW&C plane due to its balance beam configuration, only that the fixed radome of KJ-500 is probably better, not only due to being a newer radar but rather having full 360 degree coverage.
I expect we won't see true standardization of the PLA's AEW&C fleet until a few decades in. I expect KJ-500 to be produced in as high numbers as KJ-200s, and post 2020 we'll probably see a Y-20 based AEW&C to be produced alongside the smaller KJ-500, and to operate alongside KJ-2000s as well.
By the time the PLA fully moves to standardize their AEW&C fleet, AVIC will probably have relatively competent commercial airliner based platforms to offer.
And I also disagree with calling Y-8J an AEW&C plane; at most it's AEW and I consider it more as a dedicated naval strike support aircraft.
KJ-200 also doesn't have wingtip or fin radar arrays; those are for ESM. There is speculation the nose and tail radomes are for radar but we don't really have confirmation
But apart from all that, the author gets most of their facts right
I do think the author makes a mistake in the idea that the PLA should "settle" on an AEW&C design; it is only now with KJ-500 that I think PLA has a reliably sourced airframe and a 360 degree radar with assorted other capabilities that have reached a point where it satisifies most of the little nitty gritty requirements they'll have.
That isn't to say KJ-200 is a poor AEW&C plane due to its balance beam configuration, only that the fixed radome of KJ-500 is probably better, not only due to being a newer radar but rather having full 360 degree coverage.
I expect we won't see true standardization of the PLA's AEW&C fleet until a few decades in. I expect KJ-500 to be produced in as high numbers as KJ-200s, and post 2020 we'll probably see a Y-20 based AEW&C to be produced alongside the smaller KJ-500, and to operate alongside KJ-2000s as well.
By the time the PLA fully moves to standardize their AEW&C fleet, AVIC will probably have relatively competent commercial airliner based platforms to offer.
And I also disagree with calling Y-8J an AEW&C plane; at most it's AEW and I consider it more as a dedicated naval strike support aircraft.
KJ-200 also doesn't have wingtip or fin radar arrays; those are for ESM. There is speculation the nose and tail radomes are for radar but we don't really have confirmation
But apart from all that, the author gets most of their facts right
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