In the 90s of the last century, the leadership of the PRC set a course for a radical modernization of the armed forces. The growing economy and the increasing role of China in world politics required new qualitative approaches to military development. At the end of the 20th century, the reliance on a few ballistic missiles and a huge mobilization army no longer corresponded to modern challenges.
What kind of weapon was the Chinese army equipped with 25 years ago was most revealingly demonstrated by the combat strength of the PLA Air Force and the Air Defense Forces. As you know, these types of troops, where the most science-intensive models are in service, reflect the general level of the scientific, technical and technological state of the defense industry. But with this in the PRC, things were not very good. The termination of military-technical cooperation with the USSR in the first half of the 60s and the "cultural revolution" greatly slowed down the process of equipping the army with modern weapons.
Until the mid-90s, the basis of the Chinese fleet of front-line aviation combat aircraft consisted of J-6 (MiG-19), J-7 (MiG-21) fighters, Q-5 attack aircraft (based on the MiG-19) and front-line bombers N-5 (IL-28). The air defense troops had many thousands of 37-100-mm guns, about two hundred HQ-2 air defense systems (Chinese version of the C-75) and three hundred J-8 interceptors of various modifications (aircraft very similar to the Su-9 and Su-15) … That is, in terms of technical equipment, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the PRC were at about the same level as the Air Force and Air Defense of the USSR in the second half of the 60s.
After the normalization of relations with our country, China has become the largest buyer of the most advanced Russian weapons. First of all, the air defense and air forces were subject to strengthening. Multibillion-dollar deals were concluded for the purchase of S-300P air defense systems and Su-27SK heavy fighters.
To control the actions of its own aviation and issue target designation to long-range anti-aircraft systems of the PLA Air Force, modern AWACS and U aircraft were required. At the end of the 80s, an export A-50E with a simplified radio complex and without ZAS equipment was created in the USSR. However, this machine did not make a special impression on the Chinese representatives with a radio engineering complex built on a not very new element base. At the same time, the Chinese really liked the characteristics of the base platform, and they expressed a desire to create an AWACS aircraft using the Il-76MD.
Since there were no ready-made radars in the PRC, it was decided to create a radar patrol aircraft with foreign help. In 1997, a contract was signed for the creation of an aircraft early warning and control complex with the participation of foreign developers. The contractors were the Israeli firm Elta and the Russian Aircraft Company named after V. I. G. M. Beriev. The Russian side undertook to prepare a serial A-50 for conversion from the presence of the RF Ministry of Defense, and the Israelis had to adapt for it a radio-technical complex with an EL / M-205 PHALCON radar. In Russian sources, the A-50 with the Israeli RTK is most often referred to as the A-50I.
A feature of the pulse-Doppler radar EL / M-205, intended for the Chinese aircraft, was the use of a mushroom-shaped non-rotating antenna with a diameter of 11.5 m (larger than that of the A-50), with three AFAR forming a triangle. According to the advertising statements of the representatives of the company "Elta", the relatively low carrier frequency of the radar of the decimeter range (1, 2-1, 4 GHz),coupled with high-performance computing and special noise suppression devices, they made it possible to detect "difficult" low-altitude air targets such as cruise missiles and aircraft developed using low-signature technology. In addition, the Chinese AWACS aircraft had to carry modern electronic reconnaissance equipment, which made it capable of listening to radio communications and monitoring ground and ship radars in the combat area. The cost of one aircraft with the Israeli RTK was $ 250 million. In total, the PLA Air Force intended to order four AWACS and U.
The joint Sino-Russian-Israeli project entered the phase of practical implementation in 1999, when an A-50 with tail number "44" flew to Israel to install radar, radio and communication equipment. The aircraft was supposed to be ready for delivery to the customer in the second half of 2000. But already with a high technical readiness of the complex in the summer of 2000, the Israeli side announced its withdrawal from the program. This happened as a result of strong pressure from the United States, and caused great damage to Israel's reputation as a reliable supplier of weapons. As subsequent events showed, the short-sighted decision to terminate the contract, which resulted in financial losses for the Israeli side, practically did not affect the pace of implementation of the Chinese AWACS program.
The first prototype A-50I, intended for the installation of the Israeli RTK "Falcon"
As a result, the aircraft, which had already been paid for for conversion, was returned to the PRC. The Chinese leadership decided to equip the transport IL-76MD purchased in Russia with a radio-technical complex of national development. Apparently, the Chinese engineers managed to get acquainted with a significant part of the technical documentation of the RTC Falcon. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain that the equipment of the AWACS and U aircraft, which received the designation KJ-2000 ("Kun Jing" - "Heavenly Eye"), largely repeated the Israeli complex. As planned from the very beginning, a radar with AFAR in a fixed disc-shaped fairing was installed on the aircraft.
Inside the fairing, cooled through special openings by outside air, three antenna modules are installed, due to which the possibility of a circular view is achieved. Each module is capable of viewing space in a 120 ° sector. The radar, created at Nanjing Research Institute No. 14, operating in the frequency range 1200-1400 MHz, is capable of detecting targets at a distance of more than 400 km and simultaneously tracking up to 100 air and surface objects. During the tests, it was possible to detect a launching ballistic missile at a distance of 1200 km. Like the Russian A-50, there is a satellite communication antenna in the upper, front part of the fuselage.
KJ-2000
At the same time, on the KJ-2000 there are no side flat antennas of the electronic reconnaissance station and the boom of the air refueling system. Also, nothing is known about the characteristics of the equipment that transmits information to ground command posts, but the Chinese media claim that one KJ-2000 is capable of controlling the actions of several dozen combat aircraft.
Cab KJ-2000
When creating the radio technical complex of the KJ-2000 aircraft, much attention was paid to the working conditions of the crew. Despite the fact that the IL-76MD cockpit has practically remained unchanged, the operator's workplaces are equipped with color liquid crystal displays.
The number of the KJ-2000 crew can be 12-15 people, of which the flight crew is 5 people. The aircraft carries out patrols at an altitude of 5000 - 10000 m. The maximum flight range is 5000 km. The flight duration is 7 hours 40 minutes. At a distance of 2000 km from its airfield, the aircraft can remain on patrol for 1 hour and 25 minutes. In total, the PLA Air Force has four AWACS and U KJ-2000 aircraft. In the past, they were permanently based in the eastern province of Zhejiang near the Taiwan Strait. Aircraft were often involved in major exercises in various regions of the PRC.
Recently, information was leaked about the creation in the PRC of a new AWACS aircraft KJ-3000. Compared to the KJ-2000, the new radio-technical complex should provide a large detection range and the number of targets tracked. This aircraft will implement the latest achievements of the Chinese radio-electronic industry, which will make it possible to simultaneously control the actions of several dozen of its fighters and bombers. It is assumed that the KJ-3000 will be able to work not only for air targets, but will also issue target designations to long-range anti-ship complexes and participate in missile defense. Due to the use of a more lifting aircraft platform and an air refueling system, the time spent on patrol and the flight range will significantly increase.
Satellite image of Google Earth: aircraft AWACS and U KJ-2000 at the factory Xi'an airfield
The platform for the KJ-3000 should be the new Chinese Y-20 heavy transport aircraft. Outwardly, the Y-20 is similar to the Russian Il-76, but has an elongated transport compartment. Currently, 6 aircraft have been built. Serial production of the Y-20 should begin in 2017. The construction, testing, repair and modernization of most Chinese AWACS aircraft is carried out at the enterprises of the Xi'an Aviation Industry Corporation in the Shanxi province.
New Chinese military transport Y-20 and radar aircraft KJ-2000 and KJ-200 at the factory Xi'an airfield
One KJ-2000 was reequipped for testing the radio engineering complex at the Xi'an aircraft plant. Judging by the satellite images, tests are going on very intensively, and in the near future we should expect the appearance in the PRC of a new multifunctional "strategic" aircraft AWACS and U.
Simultaneously with the development of the Russian-Israeli project A-50I, the PRC began designing a "tactical" AWACS aircraft based on the military transport Y-8-200 (a modernized Chinese version of the An-12). It can be noted that the Y-8 became in the PRC an analogue of the American C-130 Hercules, and on the basis of the machine designed in the 50s, modern modifications were created with an extended cargo compartment and economical engines.
KJ-200 prototype
The first flight of the KJ-200 aircraft took place on November 8, 2001. A radar with AFAR in a "log-shaped" fairing is mounted on the aircraft in the upper - middle part of the fuselage. The radar fairing, which has received the unofficial nickname "rocker", resembles the Swedish Ericsson PS-890 radar in shape, but is much larger. In front of the radar fairing there is an air intake for cooling by the oncoming air flow.
Antenna KJ-200
It is reported that the radar for the KJ-200 AWACS aircraft, developed at Research Institute No. 38, is capable of detecting air targets at a distance of up to 300 km. Radar information is transmitted over the radio channel to consumers in the person of the air defense command post and fighter aviation control points. It is believed that one KJ-200 is capable of simultaneously aiming 10-15 interceptors. Since the angle of view of the radar on each side is 150 °, there are “dead”, not visible zones in the nose and tail of the aircraft. This forces the use of planes in pairs, or constantly fly "oval" or "eight". But in the course of these maneuvers, there is a possibility that target tracking will be lost.
Workstations of RTK operators on the KJ-200 aircraft
Compared to the larger and more complex KJ-2000, testing and development of the KJ-200 went much faster, but on June 3, 2006, a second prototype aircraft based on the Y-8F-600 crashed in Anhui province, crashing into a mountain near the village of Yao. All 40 people on board were killed. This was the largest disaster in the number of casualties in the recent history of the PLA Air Force. Among the dead were high-ranking military personnel and designers.
KJ-200
The disaster seriously delayed the adoption of the KJ-200 into service. It was officially announced that the prerequisites for the crash arose as a result of errors in the design of the aircraft. To eliminate the shortcomings, it was necessary to urgently involve specialists from the Ukrainian Antonov Design Bureau. During the revision, changes were made to the wing design and tail assembly. During the modernization, the aircraft was equipped with more powerful and economical Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150B engines with 6-blade propellers, a "glass" cockpit and additional fuel tanks. Compared to the Saab 340 and Saab 2000 platforms with similar radars, the Y-8F-600 airframe provides large areas for the installation of avionics, operator consoles and personnel rest areas.
Satellite image of Google Earth: reconnaissance aircraft Tu-154MD and AWACS aircraft KJ-200 and KJ-2000 at an airfield in the vicinity of Beijing
With a smaller size and cost in comparison with the "flying radar" created on the Il-76MD platform, the "tactical" AWACS aircraft, thanks to more economical engines, is able to stay in the air for 2 hours more. With a maximum takeoff weight of 61,000 kg with 25 tons of fuel on board, the aircraft can cover a distance of 5,000 km. Maximum speed 660 km / h, ceiling -10400 meters. Crew - 10 people, 6 of them are engaged in servicing the radio engineering complex.
The "tactical" radar system was put into service in 2009, a total of 10 were built. According to American data, KJ-200s are actively involved in patrol flights on the northeastern coast of the PRC and over the disputed islands. In February 2017, the pilots of the American P-3C Orion announced a dangerous approach with the KJ-200 over the South China Sea.
Over the seven years that have passed since the adoption of the KJ-200 AWACS aircraft, the Chinese military managed to appreciate all the advantages and features of this machine. The experience accumulated by the developers and the flight technical personnel of combat units made it possible to form an understanding of what a modern aircraft of the radar patrol and control of the "tactical link" should be like, and to start creating more advanced machines of this class. According to the views of the PLA Air Force command, an AWACS aircraft operating for a long time at a considerable distance from its base should have an all-round radar, an air refueling system and a wide range of electronic reconnaissance and jamming equipment.
