Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of Chinese weapons. By order of the Air Force of this country, at the end of 2005, on the Y-8-200 platform, a prototype of the Y-8P AWACS aircraft with a rotating disk-shaped radar antenna was created. The Pakistani military took part in the testing of the radar, in their opinion, the placement of the antenna system in the "classic" rotating fairing above the fuselage is more in line with the requirements of the Pakistani Air Force.
Experienced AWACS aircraft Y-8P
The production aircraft, based on the upgraded Y-8F-600, was designated ZDK-03 Karakorum Eagle. The designation of the AWACS aircraft, which is atypical for the PRC Air Force, is explained by its export purpose. Thus, the development company "Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC)" in the name of the machine reflected that this is the third AWACS aircraft after the KJ-2000 and KJ-200, and the letters "ZDK" are an acronym in Chinese, sounding like "Zhong Dian Ke ". The cost of one export aircraft in 2009 was $ 278 million. In total, Pakistan ordered 4 ZDK-03s. The first aircraft of this type was solemnly handed over to the Pakistani Air Force on November 13, 2010, after which intensive tests began with a Pakistani crew. On a permanent basis, AWACS and U ZDK-03 aircraft in Pakistan are located at Masroor airbase, not far from Karachi.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Pakistani AWACS aircraft ZDK-03 at Masroor air base
The ZDK-03 radio complex is serviced by 6 operators. The characteristics of the radar roughly correspond to the capabilities of the E-2C Hawkeye with the AN / APS-145 radar. In addition to the radar and communication equipment, the radio-technical complex includes radio-technical reconnaissance and electronic warfare stations. Their antennas are located in the nose and tail of the aircraft.
Aircraft AWACS and U ZDK-03 Karakorum Eagle Pakistan Air Force
The ZDK-03 aircraft delivered to Pakistan became the first Chinese AWACS aircraft to be exported. At the same time, all the key components of the RTC are designed and manufactured in China. A computer complex for signal selection against the background of the earth and high-speed data processing was also created in China from locally produced components.
Operators of RTK aircraft ZDK-03
According to its flight data, the ZDK-03 is close to the KJ-200 AWACS aircraft. With a maximum takeoff weight of 60,700 kg, the aircraft reaches a speed of 662 km / h. Cruising speed 550 km / h, patrol speed 470 km / h. Patrol time 10 hours, range - 5000 km.
In the summer of 2014, information appeared about the adoption of a new "tactical" AWACS KJ-500 aircraft in the PRC. This machine, built on the Y-8F-600 platform, resembles the KJ-200 in many ways. Distinctive features of the KJ-500 are a round radar dish, the presence of an aerodynamic ridge in the tail section to compensate for the loss of track stability, and flat antennas of a radio intelligence station.
New "medium" AWACS aircraft KJ-500
A great success of the Chinese specialists of the CETC corporation can be considered the transition from radar with mechanical scanning antennas to systems with an active phased antenna array. In the PRC, it was possible to create and launch into serial production a three-coordinate early warning radar with AFAR, which provides electronic scanning in height and azimuth. In this case, the viewing sector of each of the three flat antenna arrays docked in the form of an isosceles triangle is at least 140 °. Thus, they mutually overlap adjacent sectors and provide all-round visibility.
Satellite image of Google Earth: KJ-500 aircraft at an aircraft factory in Chengdu
The KJ-500 is currently being mass-produced at the Chengdu plant. At the moment, about ten vehicles have been built. In terms of the number of AWACS aircraft in service, China is already more than twice as large as our country. At the same time, in the PRC, simultaneously with the creation of heavy and expensive aviation radio systems based on the Il-76MD and Y-20, emphasis is placed on the construction of relatively economical "medium" AWACS aircraft. KJ-200 and KJ-500, created for the "tactical" link, if necessary, are capable of performing "strategic" tasks. Losing in flight speed, the number of tracked targets and guided fighters, turboprop machines with the same flight range as the KJ-2000 are able to hang in the air longer. And the lower productivity of the RTK is fully compensated by the larger number. The satellite image below shows how different in geometric dimensions the Chinese AWACS KJ-500 and JZY-01 aircraft from the KJ-2000.
Satellite image of Google Earth: KJ-500, JZY-01 and KJ-2000 at Xi'an airfield
The most noticeable visual difference between the export JZY-01 and the KJ-500 intended for domestic consumption with the same airframe is the radar dish. On the fixed radome of the radar of the Chinese AWACS aircraft, the viewing sectors of the AFAR emitters are indicated on top and there is a characteristic "blister".
In April 2005, in Wuhan, during a visit by the leadership of the PRC to Research Institute No. 603, a mock-up of a carrier-based AWACS aircraft was demonstrated. Work in this direction began after the decision to complete the construction at the shipyard in Dalian, purchased in Ukraine at the price of scrap metal, heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser pr.1143.6 "Varyag".
Layout of a promising Chinese carrier-based AWACS aircraft
After repair and re-equipment, the ship laid down in the USSR in September 2012 entered service with the PLA Navy as the aircraft carrier "Liaolin", becoming the first Chinese warship of this class. The J-15 fighters (the Chinese version of the Su-33) became the basis of the carrier-based wing. However, a big drawback is the lack of a carrier-based AWACS aircraft in the PLA Navy. The Ka-31 radar patrol helicopters purchased in Russia, according to the Chinese admirals, are not capable of providing the required range and duration of patrols and are, in fact, an addition to powerful shipborne radars.
Such aircraft can be placed on the decks of Chinese aircraft carriers in 10 years.
Taking into account the fact that China is implementing a program for the construction of full-fledged aircraft carriers equipped with a steam catapult, the Chinese fleet desperately needs a deck-based AWACS aircraft. In 2011, tests of an experimental JZY-01 aircraft began at an airfield near the city of Xi'an. This machine, created on the basis of the transport Y-7 (a copy of the An-26), was intended to test the radio-technical complex and design solutions, which were later planned to be used in the creation of a carrier-based AWACS aircraft.
The second version of the prototype AWACS aircraft JZY-01
The first version carried an antenna similar to the one used on the KJ-200 aircraft, but this option did not suit the representatives of the PLA Navy and soon a prototype with a traditional disc-shaped dish was submitted for testing. Most experts agree that the radar fairing is not rotating, and inside it, like on the larger AWACS aircraft KJ-2000, there are three active phased antenna arrays that provide all-round visibility. During test flights, it turned out that the bulky radar disk obscures the tail unit, and this negatively affects controllability.
As a result, the plane was once again altered, after which it began to resemble an enlarged Hawkeye. In addition to the spaced tail unit with washers on the tips, this version has new WJ-6C engines with 6-blade JL-4 propellers - similar to those used on the new Y-8-600 transport aircraft and the KJ-200 and ZDK-03 AWACS aircraft …
Contrary to widespread rumors, the JZY-01 was not intended to be tested on an aircraft carrier. Too large for a deck-based vehicle does not have a folding wing and is not equipped with a brake landing hook and reinforced chassis. In addition, this very heavy aircraft, which does not have a high thrust-to-weight ratio, is not capable of taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier without the aid of a catapult.
In February 2017, a not very high-quality photograph appeared on the Chinese Internet, taken at one of the PLA naval airfields. A number of sources say that the photo shows a new carrier-based AWACS KJ-600 aircraft. Based on the size of the planes and helicopters standing nearby, we can conclude that the KJ-600 is much smaller than the JZY-01 tested earlier and should fit on the deck without any problems. The KJ-600 resembles the American E-2 Hawkeye in many ways, but the Chinese machine has smaller geometric dimensions. Most likely, the KJ-600 uses a radar scheme already familiar to Chinese developers with three active phased antenna arrays in a fixed disc-shaped fairing.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the Chinese leadership, after Israel's refusal to cooperate in the creation of a joint radio engineering complex, set the developers the task of localizing the production of all electronic equipment components for AWACS aircraft in China. In 2014, it was announced that this program has been completed. On the new Chinese AWACS aircraft, computers and software developed and manufactured only in China are used in computing systems. For the purpose of unification, common communication and information systems are used on different types of aircraft. This approach allows you to get rid of foreign dependence, reduce the cost of production, facilitate maintenance and improve information security.
At the moment, China is witnessing a real boom in aircraft designed for both radar reconnaissance of ground targets and airspace surveillance. In the mid-90s, the J-8FR aircraft, created on the basis of the J-8F interceptor, entered service with the tactical reconnaissance aircraft of the PLA Air Force. Despite the external resemblance to the interceptor, the reconnaissance version is very different from it in the composition of the onboard equipment.
Reconnaissance aircraft J-8FR
On this aircraft, the Type 1492 air target detection radar has been replaced with a compartment with photos and television cameras. Instead of the dismantled 23-mm cannon, optoelectronic equipment with a wide field of view, capable of operating in the dark, is installed on board. But the most notable innovation was the container suspension with side-looking radar. This synthetic aperture radar is capable of conducting radar reconnaissance at a distance of more than 100 km. But it is not known whether the aircraft has equipment for remote transmission of the collected reconnaissance information, or data analysis occurs after the aircraft returns to its airfield.
Although the base platform of the J-8F aircraft, which is the Chinese conceptual analogue of the Soviet Su-15 interceptor, is obsolete, this machine is still in service and is equipped with fairly modern avionics, weapons and engines. The fighter has a very impressive rate of climb and acceleration characteristics. At the afterburner, its thrust-to-weight ratio approaches unity. The reconnaissance option also has good speed parameters. At high altitudes, its speed can exceed 2 M. With a supply of fuel in the internal tanks, the range of the J-8FR reconnaissance aircraft reaches 900 km. To increase the duration of the flight on the plane, 600 and 800 liter outboard fuel tanks can be used, and there is also equipment for refueling in the air. The aircraft retained the PL-8 SRAAM melee missiles from the armament. A number of sources indicate that instead of a side-looking radar, the PRR X-31R or its Chinese analogue YJ-93 can be suspended.
Chinese sources say that the small-scale construction of the J-8FR reconnaissance aircraft was carried out until 2012. In the future, these machines will be replaced by middle-class drones, which are currently being developed and tested.
In addition to aircraft platforms, powerful ground and air reconnaissance radars in the PRC are being adapted on helicopters and UAVs. Since the late 70s, when the United States saw China as the enemy of the USSR, active military-technical cooperation was conducted between the countries of the West and the "celestial" countries. Among other samples of military equipment, 12 French SA 321 Super Frelon heavy transport helicopters were delivered to China. Subsequently, the PRC established licensed production of this helicopter under the designation Z-8. Relatively recently, a radically modernized modification of the Z-18 appeared. In contrast to the basic version, the Z-18 has a modified shape of the front of the fuselage and an extended cargo compartment, more powerful and economical WZ-6C engines. For radar detection of sea and air targets, the Z-18J was created on the basis of a transport helicopter.
Radar patrol helicopter Z-18J
Compared to the Russian Ka-31 radar patrol helicopter, this is a much larger and heavier vehicle with a maximum take-off weight of 14 tons. The Z-18J is currently being tested by the PLA Navy. A prototype of an AWACS helicopter with a radar antenna located in the area of the hinged tail frame and lowered to the operating position when the vehicle was in the air, was seen on the deck of the aircraft carrier "Liaoning".
In 2006, it became known that the Chinese company Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) is designing a Chinese analogue of the heavy UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk. At the same time, information was announced that the device was being created using low radar signature technology and would be used for high-altitude reconnaissance. The drone, named Xianlong ("Soaring Dragon"), entered trials in 2008.
UAV Xianlong at the Chengdu factory airfield
Unlike the Global Hawk, the Chinese Soaring Dragon is equipped with an original wing shape that combines a closed wing with a normal sweep and a reverse sweep. The wing consists of two planes located one above the other and connected by curved rings. This wing shape has a high lift and can significantly reduce fuel consumption and increase flight duration.
Although the Soaring Eagle is positioned as an analogue of the American Global Hawk, the Chinese drone is inferior in range and flight duration. According to information published in open sources, with a take-off weight of about 7,500 kg, the Chinese device is able to rise to an altitude of 18,300 meters and cover a distance of more than 7,000 km. The maximum speed is 750 km / h.
The main purpose of the UAV is to control the ocean space. To search for surface targets, the Soaring Eagle has a synthetic aperture radar capable of allegedly detecting destroyer-type targets at a distance of 480 km. Through satellite and radio channels, through repeater aircraft, data on detected targets should be transmitted to headquarters and to ground and sea anti-ship complexes. According to the American naval intelligence, the Xianlong UAV, along with reconnaissance spacecraft, is part of the target designation system of the DF-21D land-based anti-ship ballistic missiles.
At the end of June 2015, it became known about the development in China of a heavy UAV Divine Eagle ("Divine Eagle"). Compared to the already adopted Soaring Eagle, this is a much larger and heavier device.
Prototype UAV Divine Eagle at the factory airfield
It was created at the Shenyang Research Institute No. 601 as a multifunctional reconnaissance platform. It is arguably the largest drone built to date. The estimated length of the Divine Eagle UAV is 14-16 meters, and the wingspan may exceed 40 meters. The geometric dimensions of the Divine Eagle UAV can be judged from the satellite image, where it was captured at the factory airfield in Shenyang. The J-7 and J-8 fighters parked nearby give an idea of the size of the device.
Satellite image of Google Earth: UAV Divine Eagle on the runway of the factory airfield in Shenyang
The prototype has a twin hull with one turbojet engine in the middle and two keels. This scheme was chosen in order to increase the carrying capacity. It is reported that the "Divine Eagle" with a takeoff weight of about 15,000 kg is capable of reaching an altitude of 25,000 meters and reaching speeds of up to 900 km / h. Most likely, its main purpose will also be long-range naval reconnaissance and tracking of ground targets. For this, in addition to optoelectronic systems, two powerful radars with AFAR and a satellite communication system have been developed.
The layout of the heavy UAV Divine Eagle
American experts in the field of aviation weapons and radar suggest that such an unusual form of the new heavy Chinese drone is associated with the desire to place on board the device means capable of detecting aircraft made with elements of low radar signature. So it is really or not, it is not known for certain, at the same time, reasonable doubts are expressed about the effectiveness of a heavy unmanned vehicle for long-range radar detection of air targets, since this will require a large number of high-speed long-range communication channels, and it is not a fact that in the event of a collision with a technologically a strong enemy, Chinese communication satellites will remain operational.
