Foreign media have been closely watching the construction of the Chinese Air Force. They recently claimed that a new AWACS aircraft has entered service. A well-known American military media outlet, The War Zone, named this new AWACS aircraft KJ-700 and stated that its entry into service marks a new phase in the PLA's airborne early warning and reconnaissance capabilities.

[Flight photo of the KJ-700 AWACS aircraft]

According to online images, compared with the KJ-500 which uses a three-panel active electronically scanned array radar design, the KJ-700 employs a dual-panel radar.

American experts from The War Zone analyzed that the KJ-700 would abandon the three-panel design that has been used for over a decade on the KJ-500 and KJ-2000, indicating that the PLA has higher requirements for the KJ-700's anti-stealth capability.

Stealth fighters are not truly invisible; they are made less detectable through various technological means, reducing the radar detection range. This reduction ratio is relatively fixed, and the effectiveness varies depending on the stealth aircraft's orientation relative to the radar and the radar's operating frequency band.

To detect stealth fighters, an AWACS aircraft has only a few options.

Increasing the radar's size and power to extend detection range; using radar bands such as meter waves that can effectively detect stealth fighters; or deploying two or more AWACS aircraft from different directions to expose the target's location regardless of its maneuvers.

The KJ-700 AWACS aircraft adopts a dual-panel radar design precisely to integrate a larger-sized radar onto the Y-9 platform. Although the three-panel phased array radar offers the advantage of real-time information updates without needing to rotate, it limits the size of each panel.

Limiting the size of the phased array antenna also restricts the radar's detection range.

This issue is not severe on the KJ-2000 AWACS aircraft, which uses the IL-76 transport aircraft as its platform. The IL-76's size can accommodate a larger radar, thereby increasing the size of each panel. However, on the KJ-500 AWACS aircraft, which uses the Y-8/Y-9 transport aircraft platform, the disadvantages of the three-panel design are further magnified.

Although the KJ-500 AWACS aircraft remains competitive compared to foreign counterparts, considering the improved fifth-generation and sixth-generation fighter jets, the KJ-500 is starting to fall behind. Therefore, when developing a new generation of AWACS aircraft, a larger radar is essential.

To integrate a qualified radar onto the Y-9 platform, the Chinese Air Force has only two choices: a dual-panel design or an even more extreme single-panel design. American E-2D "Advanced Hawkeye" and Chinese KJ-600 carrier-based AWACS aircraft use more extreme single-panel designs due to their smaller platforms.

[KJ-600 AWACS aircraft during test flight]

In addition to the larger radar, a series of electro-optical and infrared sensors installed on the KJ-700 airframe are also evidence of the aircraft's enhanced anti-stealth performance.

As mentioned earlier, stealth fighters are not truly invisible. They can be exposed under high-power radar illumination and can also be detected by various optical instruments, especially infrared thermal imaging devices.

The exhaust plume from fighter jet engines is a significant infrared source, and the friction between the aircraft and the air during high-speed flight generates heat. These heat sources make stealth fighters shine in thermal imaging equipment, with some of the most advanced thermal imaging devices reportedly capable of detecting an F-22 fighter at distances of nearly 200 kilometers, sometimes performing better than radar in clear weather.

[Infrared thermal imaging view of the F-22 fighter]

The KJ-700 installs a similar infrared thermal imaging device at the nose position, which can not only detect stealth fighters but also be used for ballistic missile detection, providing strategic early warning capability.

Additionally, using the Y-9 airframe as a platform can also be seen as one of the PLA's decisions to enhance the KJ-700's anti-stealth capability.

As previously mentioned, two AWACS aircraft working together can trap stealth fighters in a difficult situation. However, to establish a multi-AWACS cooperative anti-stealth detection system, one prerequisite is that the AWACS aircraft itself must be affordable and have the conditions for large-scale production and procurement.

In this regard, the mature, reliable, and cost-effective Y-9 transport aircraft can significantly reduce the platform costs during the production process of the KJ-700 AWACS aircraft. Considering the production speed of the Y-9 platform, the KJ-700 not only has an advantage in cost but can also quickly form combat capability, expanding the fleet size in a short time to improve China's Air Force airborne early warning reconnaissance system.

[Imaginary diagram of a new generation of large AWACS aircraft based on Y-20]

However, it should be noted that while the Y-9 platform and the KJ-700 have many advantages, this does not mean that the KJ-700 can handle everything. Limited by the platform size, the KJ-700 can only replace the KJ-500 to serve as a theater-level AWACS aircraft. The status of the KJ-2000, a regional-level AWACS aircraft, cannot be replaced.

Fortunately, open-source intelligence shows that China is developing a new generation of large transport aircraft based on the Y-20 transport aircraft. Satellite photos have also revealed that a certain research institute in China is testing a larger-sized AWACS radar on the ground.

It is called KJ-300 by outsiders, indicating that China's Air Force AWACS fleet will undergo a comprehensive upgrade in the near future. Theater-level AWACS aircraft will include KJ-500 and KJ-700 working together, while regional-level AWACS aircraft will feature KJ-2000 and KJ-3000 forming a strong alliance to build a dense network against stealth fighters.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494962065874895412/

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