Xi'an KJ-600

Xi'an KJ-600
Role Carrier-capable transport / carrier onboard delivery / airborne early warning and control
National origin China
Manufacturer Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation
First flight 29 August 2020
Status Flight test
Primary user People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force
Number built 4-6[1]
Developed from Xian JZY-01

The Xi'an KJ-600 is a Chinese twin-propeller, quad-tail, high-wing military aircraft designed for cargo and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) intended for carrier-based operations, to be deployed on Type 003 aircraft carriers of the People's Liberation Army Navy from around 2024.

Design and development

The KJ-600 is a high-straight wing aircraft reportedly powered by a pair of WJ-6 turboprop engine, and sports a quad-fin tailplane, tricycle gear and a large dorsal radome suspected to be fitted with an AESA-type system. A non-flying model was observed on a concrete mockup carrier at Wuhan electronic testing facility,[2] The mockup has a striking external resemblance to the aftward-folding Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye.[3]

The aircraft made its maiden flight on 29 August 2020.[4] Flight testing continued in 2021.[5][6] A prototype in flight was spotted by aircraft observers above the testing facility in October 2021.[7][8] In late 2023 "intensive trials" were underway with at least four, possibly even six, prototypes, according to Gu Min Chul.[1]

Strategic implication

The Diplomat's Rick Joe, who writes extensively on Chinese aviation and naval developments, commented that "fixed wing carrierborne AEW&C are a vital and essential part to any navy that seeks to field a robust and capable carrier airwing, and their ability to enhance a carrier group's offensive and defensive capabilities and overall situational awareness and network-centric warfare is unmatched by any other platform type that will exist in the near future".[9]

Analyst H. I. Sutton believed the KJ-600 will be a massive boost to the PLA Navy, and "[o]nce it enters service on the carriers, it will greatly enhance the aerial and maritime situational awareness [...] [a]nd the offensive and defensive capabilities of the carrier group", and that "Chinese aerospace and military industry has certainly shown its ability to develop quite modern and capable AEW&C systems for other air, naval and ground applications".[3]

Specifications (KJ-600)

Data from GlobalSecurity.org[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 5-6
  • Length: 18.14 m (59 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft)
  • Height: 5.72 m (18 ft 9 in)
  • Empty weight: 25,401 kg (56,000 lb)
  • Gross weight: 30,481 kg (67,200 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Zhuzhou WoJiang-6C turboprop engines, 3,805 kW (5,103 hp) each (FWJ-6C)
  • Propellers: 6-bladed constant-speed feathering and reversible propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 693 km/h (431 mph, 374 kn)
  • Range: 1,250 km (780 mi, 670 nmi)
  • Ferry range: 2,800 km (1,700 mi, 1,500 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 15,000 m (50,000 ft)

Avionics
3-way AESA radars arranged in a triangular configuration[7]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

  1. ^ a b Gu, Min Chul. "China's new carrier-based AEW aircraft undergoes intensive trials". Defence Blog. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "KLC-7 / KJ-600 Carrier-Based Airborne Early Warning (AEW)". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b Sutton, H. I. (13 September 2020). "China's New Carrier Early-Warning Plane Is More Than A Hawkeye Clone". Forbes. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  4. ^ Suciu, Peter (5 September 2020). "The Xian KJ-600 Could Make China's Aircraft Carriers Far More Powerful". The National Interest. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  5. ^ Huang, Kristin (28 January 2021). "China's new KJ-600 surveillance aircraft completes latest test flight". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ^ Dominguez, Gabriel (23 February 2021). "China confirms ongoing flight-tests of KJ-600 AEW aircraft". Janes. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b Vavasseur, Xavier (29 October 2021). "China's Future Carrier Airwing: New Stealth Fighter And AWACS Spotted In Flight". Naval News. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. ^ Cenciotti, David (29 October 2021). "China's New Carrier-Based Stealth Fighter Makes First Flight". The Aviationist. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  9. ^ Joe, Rick (29 September 2020). "003 and More: An Update on China's Aircraft Carriers". The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 May 2021.