In the interests of the People's Liberation Army of China, a number of specialized aviation equipment is being developed, incl. electronic warfare aircraft. In recent years, several such samples have become known. One of the newest is the Shenyang J-16D aircraft, based on the 4th generation serial fighter.
From fighter to electronic warfare
The J-16 serial fighter produced by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation was used as the basis for a promising electronic warfare aircraft. This aircraft is officially called a variant of the development of the Chinese J-11BS, which favorably differs in a number of characteristics. According to various data and estimates, the creation of the J-16 was not without Russian experience - one of the sources of solutions and components was the Su-30MKK aircraft.
The first flight of the experienced J-16 in its original configuration took place in mid-2012. Already in 2013, the Shenyang Corporation launched mass production, and in the spring of next year, the PLA Air Force received the first regimental set of aircraft. To date, at least 130-140 J-16 aircraft have been built.
According to known data, in the basic version, the J-16 two-seater multipurpose fighter has special equipment that allows it to counter enemy radio-electronic means. However, it was considered insufficient to solve some of the tasks, as a result of which a project of a specialized electronic warfare aircraft was launched.
Special sample
The new modification of the fighter received the J-16D index. The first flight of such an aircraft took place on December 18, 2015. Soon, some data on the project were published, as well as a number of photographs of the prototype aircraft. Despite the limited amount of available materials, it is possible to assess some of the features of the Chinese project and present its approximate prospects.
By its design, the J-16D is as similar as possible to the base aircraft, but it has some noticeable differences. Changed the shape of the nose cone; it has become shorter and has a different curvature of the surface. Behind the fairing, in front of the canopy, there is no optical-electronic station, typical for all aircraft of the Su-27 family. The built-in cannon disappeared from the inflow of the wing.
At the wingtips, there were large containers of equipment that can be uniquely identified as electronic warfare systems. Also, on the plane, before painting, individual sections of the skin are clearly visible, under which antenna devices or other equipment characteristic of electronic warfare aircraft can be hidden.
Later, new photos of the J-16D aircraft appeared in the public domain. They show that special equipment is not only mounted on the wingtips. If necessary, the aircraft can carry a suspended container with equipment under the fuselage or under the wing.
It is known that the J-16 fighter received a new Chinese-designed radar equipped with an active phased array antenna. Probably, its specialized version retains such equipment, but the use of a new fairing may indicate the processing of the radar complex.
Wing-tip containers are apparently part of the aircraft's standard equipment. They accommodate electronic reconnaissance equipment to detect the radiation of foreign electronic systems and jamming stations. In foreign publications, J-16D containers are often compared with AN / ALQ-218 products used on American aircraft.
The standard electronic warfare equipment of the aircraft can be supplemented with suspended containers of a similar purpose. Due to this, the J-16D can simultaneously carry and use different means, operating in different ranges and optimized for different tasks.
Obviously, the restructuring and addition of the avionics complex for solving special problems affected the equipment of the cockpit. The workplace of the pilot-operator should now provide control and management of the operation of electronic warfare equipment. Also, the operator must work with the radar and, possibly, with weapons.
Fighter electronics
The Shenyang J-16D electronic warfare aircraft is built on the basis of the existing model, which indicates its flight performance. The J-16 is a multi-role fighter with a maximum speed of M = 2, 4 and a combat radius of 1,500 km. It is unlikely that the specialized J-16D differs significantly from the base fighter in its flight data.
Thanks to the existing airborne radar, the new electronic warfare aircraft, like the original J-16, is able to monitor the air and ground situation - however, the collected data is used differently. With the help of other products from the avionics, the aircraft must detect radiation sources in the form of enemy electronic systems and "jam" them with interference. Unfortunately, the exact characteristics of the airborne and suspended electronic warfare equipment remain unknown.
In the foreign press, it has been suggested that some shock capabilities will be retained. So, even with the installation of several overhead electronic warfare containers, the J-16D aircraft retains free hardpoints and a certain reserve of carrying capacity. This can be used to carry and use various types of anti-radar missiles.
The PLA Air Force and Navy are armed with several anti-radar aircraft missiles, both of their own design and copies of Soviet / Russian products. Such missiles are intended to destroy air, ground and surface targets. All such weapons can be used by modern fighters, incl. J-16. Whether the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft can carry such weapons is unknown. However, according to various estimates, the availability of such capabilities would seriously increase the potential of this machine.
An uncertain future
The Shenyang J-16 multipurpose fighter has already gone into production and is being operated by the PLA Air Force. The current status of its specialized modification, equipped with electronic warfare equipment, is unclear. New messages about the J-16D project did not appear for a long time, and at the time of the latest news, the aircraft was at the testing stage.
A lot of time has passed since the first flight, and this suggests that the project is approaching the stage of the series launch and adoption. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that the J-16D has already begun service, but this has not been reported due to the characteristic Chinese approach to secrecy.
In the ranks of the new J-16D will serve on land airfields and provide the combat operation of other aircraft, incl. J-16 of the original modification. Electronic warfare aircraft will be able to accompany fighter-bombers, identify threats and fight them using interference or anti-radar interference. Due to its special role, such a technique will not be numerous. The total output will not exceed several tens of units.
For the Air Force, but not for the Navy
It is unlikely that the J-16D will go into service with the Navy. In the interests of naval aviation, a specialized aircraft based on the J-15 carrier-based fighter is currently being developed. The J-15D first took off in 2016 and is still being tested. When these aircraft will be able to replenish the carrier-based aircraft of the PLA Navy is unknown.
The photographs available show that the J-15D differs from the original J-15 in about the same way as the J-16D from the base sample. A different radar fairing was used, there is no gun and OLS, and new containers appeared on the wing. Perhaps the two electronic warfare aircraft are unified in terms of basic systems.
In the specialized foreign media, there is a version about the possible development of a deck modification of the "land" J-16 fighter. In this regard, an assumption is made about the possible transfer of developments on avionics in the field of carrier-based aviation. However, such ideas do not seem necessary and promising. For the Navy, a J-15 fighter with all the necessary features has already been created, and an electronic warfare aircraft is being developed on its basis.
Thus, the approximate prospects for the J-16D project are already clear. In the near future, a specialized electronic warfare aircraft will have to enter service with the PLA Air Force and provide an increase in the combat effectiveness of tactical aviation. You should also expect the imminent appearance of combat-based electronic warfare aircraft based on the J-15 fighter. This means that the PLA command is well aware of the importance of electronic systems and means of dealing with them. Accordingly, measures are being taken to develop both of these areas, and the J-16D aircraft turns out to be one of the most important developments in this context.
