Shaanxi KJ-200
| KJ-200 | |
|---|---|
 KJ-200 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airborne early warning and control |
| National origin | China |
| Manufacturer | Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army Air Force People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Number built | 11 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 2007 |
| First flight | 2005 |
| Developed from | Shaanxi Y-8 |
The KJ-200 (NATO reporting name: Moth[1]) is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation[2] of China. It is a variant of the Shaanxi Y-8 military transport aircraft and also called the Y-8W. Enthusiasts called it the GX-5.[3]
Design and development
[edit]Development began in 2002 after the United States blocked the sale of the Israeli EL/W-2090 Phalcon radar to China.[4] According to Science and Technology Daily, Ouyang Shaoxiu, Shaanxi's chief designer, was the program's chief designer, and 80% of the Y-8 was modified to create the KJ-200.[5]
The primary sensor is a JY-06 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar[4] mounted in a "plank" or 'balance beam" housing above the fuselage;[6][4] the configuration resembles various uses of the Ericsson Erieye radar system.[7]
The aircraft's first flight was in January 2005. The second aircraft crashed in 2006 due to wing icing; the crash "almost derailed" the program.[4]
Operational history
[edit]The KJ-200 aircraft entered service with the People's Liberation Army in 2007.[8] Its first official public appearance was at the 2009 Chinese National Day Parade.[9]
In February 2017, a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion and a KJ-200 inadvertently passed within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of each other over the South China Sea.[10][11]
Variants
[edit]- KJ-200
- Base variant.
- KJ-200A
- Modified KJ-200 with revised nose section and new electronics. First observed in December 2016.[12]
- "KJ-200AG"
- Unofficial designation for KJ-200A with inflight air refueling probe.[12]
- KJ-200H
- Modified KJ-200 for PLA Navy.[12]
- KJ-200B
- Adds satellite communications and new electronics.[8] First observed in 2016. Entered service in 2023.[12]
Operators
[edit]
See also
[edit]Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
[edit]- ^ a b The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025, p. 245.
- ^ Erickson 2014, p. 91.
- ^ Dahm 2020, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d Wood 2020, p. 5.
- ^ "预警机总师欧阳绍修：运-8被大胆修改了80%(1)". china.com (in Chinese). Science and Technology Daily. 13 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
- ^ Dahm 2020, p. 7.
- ^ Erickson 2014, p. 95.
- ^ a b "China assessing improved KJ-200 special mission aircraft". Janes. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024.
- ^ Wood 2020, p. 33.
- ^ "U.S., China military planes come inadvertently close over South China Sea". Reuters. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (10 February 2017). "Chinese and US aircraft in 'unsafe' encounter". CNN. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d Newdick, Thomas; Rupprecht, Andreas (5 April 2023). "China's Massive Fleet Of Radar Planes And The Strategy Behind It". The War Zone.
- ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025, p. 246.
Sources
[edit]- Dahm, J. Michael (2020). Special Mission Aircraft and Unmanned Systems (PDF) (Report). South China Sea Military Capabilities Series. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
- Erickson, Andrew S. (February 2014). "Chinese Air- and Space-Based ISR". In Dutton, Peter; Erickson, Andrew S.; Martinson, Ryan (eds.). China's Near Seas Combat Capabilities (Report). China Maritime Studies. Vol. 11. United States Naval War College.
- The International Institute for Strategic Studies (2025). The Military Balance 2025. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-041-04967-8.
- Wood, Peter; Cliff, Roger (November 2020). Chinese Airborne C4ISR. China Aerospace Studies Institute. ISBN 9798583085569.
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