【Foreign Media: China's KJ-600 Early Warning Aircraft Seen on Shandong Carrier】
According to a report from Defence Security Asia on June 9, 2026: Photos circulating globally on June 8 showed the Xi'an KJ-600 early warning aircraft parked on the flight deck of the "Shandong" carrier, accompanied by neatly arranged ground crew personnel for carrier aircraft operations. This indicates that the aircraft is no longer limited solely to electromagnetic catapult testing aboard the 003-type "Fujian" carrier, but has begun engaging with ski-jump takeoff carriers.
This image immediately drew strong attention from open-source intelligence (OSINT) communities and defense analysts in the Indo-Pacific region, as both the "Shandong" and its sister ship, the "Liaoning," are configured for ski-jump takeoff and arrested landing (STOBAR). For years, Western naval analysts believed that China’s fixed-wing carrier-based early warning ambitions would be constrained by insufficient ski-jump launch energy—specifically, the inability of ski-jump launches to lift heavy turboprop radar aircraft carrying large fuel loads, extensive sensors, and mission systems.
Thus, the apparent integration testing underway on the "Shandong" suggests that Chinese Navy aviation engineers may have overcome one of the most critical strategic limitations facing China’s first-generation carrier fleet through improvements in propulsion, revised takeoff procedures, or reduced mission payload.
If confirmed via actual ski-jump takeoff trials, the KJ-600 will significantly expand the radar coverage, battlefield awareness, missile guidance capabilities, and fleet survivability of China’s two active ski-jump carriers, enabling deeper deployment across the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, and western Pacific Ocean.
The KJ-600 itself is viewed as a direct counterpart to the U.S. Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, featuring a large AESA rotating radome, twin turboprop engines, four vertical tails, foldable wings, and specialized long-range command and control functions optimized for carrier strike groups. Unlike the Z-18 series early warning helicopters, the KJ-600 flies at higher altitudes and offers longer endurance, dramatically expanding radar coverage sectors and more effectively detecting low-altitude cruise missiles, stealth fighters, sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, and long-range maritime strike platforms.
Its significance extends far beyond reconnaissance and surveillance—carrier-based early warning aircraft serve as airborne command nodes responsible for coordinating fighter interceptions, missile engagements, fleet air defense, sensor fusion, and distributed maritime kill chains, all of which are crucial in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific theater. The U.S. Navy’s current E-2D, equipped with the AN/APY-9 radar, remains the benchmark for carrier-based early warning due to its mature battle management architecture, electronic warfare resilience, and deep integration with the U.S. military’s network-centric warfare system. However, the rapid emergence of the KJ-600 reflects China’s effort to compress decades of American carrier aviation evolution into an accelerated modernization cycle, advancing simultaneously in sensors, aviation, missiles, and fleet networking to challenge U.S. maritime dominance in the Indo-Pacific by the early 2030s.
Therefore, the appearance of the KJ-600 on the "Shandong" carries not only symbolic weight but may also signal Beijing’s intent to equip future carrier strike groups with fixed-wing early warning capabilities regardless of whether they use ski-jump or catapult takeoffs.
——Ski-jump compatibility could reshape China’s carrier force structure
The most strategically significant aspect of this "Shandong" sighting lies in the possibility that the KJ-600 might achieve takeoff from a ski-jump carrier—previously considered incompatible due to launch energy constraints preventing operation of heavy fixed-wing early warning aircraft. Earlier assessments almost exclusively tied it to the "Fujian," as only the electromagnetic catapult system on the Type 003 carrier could provide sufficient thrust to launch heavily loaded aircraft fully fueled and equipped.
A January 2026 assessment suggested that after upgrading to enhanced WJ-10 turboprop engines and adopting modified takeoff procedures, the aircraft might be capable of ski-jump launching from older carriers using high-load, long-range takeoff positions—without requiring electromagnetic catapults. The latest imagery strongly implies that China is actively conducting compatibility tests, deck familiarization, static integration evaluations, and even early demonstrations to validate this hypothesis, assessing real-world deck operations, takeoff dynamics, and integration with carrier air wings under actual sea conditions.
This is especially critical in the Western Pacific—where Chinese naval formations are increasingly operating beyond the protection of land-based radar, confronting a complex reconnaissance architecture built by the U.S., Japan, Australia, and allied forces. Carrier-based early warning capability can also enhance coordination between J-15T, J-35 fighters, anti-ship ballistic missile targeting networks, and distributed sensor sharing, complicating adversaries’ fleet maneuvering.
——The KJ-600 expands China’s maritime kill chain architecture
The KJ-600’s greatest strategic value lies in serving as an airborne sensor fusion and command platform, integrating data from aircraft, warships, missiles, drones, and satellite intelligence into a unified maritime operational management system, supporting long-range power projection. Modern naval warfare increasingly relies on distributed target networks rather than isolated platforms—remote anti-ship missiles, carrier air wings, and fleet air defenses all require persistent sensor coverage beyond the horizon.
The KJ-600 flies higher than early warning helicopters, enabling earlier detection of incoming aircraft, missile launches, surface vessels, and low-observability maritime threats, while continuously providing command and control support to carrier air wings. This is particularly vital for sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles—early detection directly determines whether layered defenses can successfully intercept high-speed targets before their terminal phase.
Reportedly, its AESA rotating radar provides 360° surveillance coverage, optimizing multi-target tracking, air defense coordination, and naval battle management. However, specific detection range, power output, and jamming resistance performance remain classified or unverified commercially. The KJ-600 represents a qualitative leap in China’s carrier-based surveillance capabilities, transforming carrier operations from regional air support to a fully networked maritime strike and fleet defense system.
The KJ-600 also forms part of a layered sensor network alongside existing models such as the KJ-500, KJ-200, KJ-700, KJ-2000, and KJ-3000, balancing near-sea defense with expanding blue-water expeditionary operations. Current estimates suggest China operates around six KJ-600 carrier variants, with the total early warning aircraft fleet exceeding 96 aircraft—highlighting Beijing’s sustained investment in airborne surveillance infrastructure to support distant-sea maritime dominance and Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) strategies.
Disclaimer: All equipment data and images referenced above originate from reports by Defence Security Asia.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867468930756619/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.