There has been confusion about the concept of "small platform, large early warning" for KJ-500 until hearing an explanation from its deputy chief designer, Cui Jixian.

Deputy Chief Designer Cui mentioned that KJ-2000 was China's first AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. However, due to restrictions imposed by foreign parties, only two were produced. At that time, there were no similar domestic platforms available, so they had to use Y-9.

The Il-76 platform weighs 210 tons while Y-9 only weighs 70 tons, which is quite a difference. The challenge was to achieve the same level of early warning capability with this smaller platform, hence the origin of the term "small platform, large early warning".

To achieve the same level of early warning performance with a smaller platform requires technological upgrades. This is something the U.S. has experienced. The E-3 Sentry platform weighs around 100 tons, whereas the E-2D Hawkeye weighs only 25 tons. Despite the fourfold weight difference, the E-2D’s capabilities are not inferior to those of the E-3. This is because the E-3 uses a traveling wave tube radar, while the E-2D employs an active phased array radar.

KJ-2000 itself is an active phased array radar-equipped AWACS, making it the world's only 200-ton-class active phased array radar AWACS aircraft. Its formidable capabilities are evident. It is precisely for this reason that Russia also wanted to develop a variant on the Il-76 platform. Since Russia used the KJ-2000 as a platform, they naturally participated in the integration of various systems, leading them to later develop the A-100, which is a dual-band system.

Transferring the capabilities of KJ-2000 to KJ-500 is much more difficult than upgrading from E-3 to E-2D, unless there is a leapfrog development in technology, such as the transition from traveling wave tubes to GaAs T/R modules, or the cross-generational leap from planar slot arrays to active phased array radars.

Luckily, KJ-500 encountered these advancements. It witnessed the transition from gallium arsenide to gallium nitride, and the shift from active phased array radars to digital array radars.

Deputy Chief Designer Cui stated that integrating new concept equipment is very challenging. An AWACS is not just a radar; it is also an information center and command center. Each individual component may perform excellently, but when combined, issues arise. Therefore, the overall performance of an AWACS should be emphasized rather than just highlighting a single capability.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829564221564937/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the views of the author.