In the 1950s and 1960s, the aviation of the United States and Kuomintang Taiwan violated the air border of the PRC many times. Chinese fighters have repeatedly risen to intercept intruders. A real air war was going on over the Taiwan Strait.
In this situation, China desperately needed a long-range radar surveillance aircraft (AWACS), which could detect intruder aircraft invading the country's airspace, taking advantage of the presence of high mountain ranges on the southeast coast of the PRC, which interfered with the operation of ground-based radar stations.
In the mid-60s in the USSR, the Tu-126 AWACS was launched into mass production, equipped with a powerful Liana radar with a rotating mushroom antenna radome located on the upper part of the fuselage. At that time, it was a revolutionary technical solution that allows for a circular view regardless of the position of the aircraft relative to the observed target. Subsequently, such an antenna arrangement was implemented on other AWACS aircraft.
Aircraft AWACS Tu-126
The Tu-126 was created on the basis of the Tu-114 airliner, its "ancestor", in turn, was the Tu-95 strategic bomber, numerous modifications of which for a long time became the basis of long-range aviation in the USSR.
Naturally, given the aggravated relations between the Soviet Union and China in the 60s, there could be no talk of delivering Tu-114 to the PRC, let alone Tu-95.
As a result, the Chinese specialists decided to build their "flying radar" on the basis of the Tu-4 long-range bomber, which, in turn, was copied from the American B-29 Superfortress bomber.
In 1953, 25 Tu-4 aircraft were transferred to the PRC, where they operated until the early 90s, much outlasting similar aircraft in the USSR and the USA.
A radar with an antenna with a diameter of 7 m and a mass of 5 tons was attached to the aircraft fuselage. The power of four piston engines for an aircraft with a large antenna, which increased aerodynamic drag by 30%, was not enough. It was decided to equip the aircraft with powerful AI-20K Ivchenko turboprop engines.
AI-20 engines were used in China on military transport aircraft Y-8, which was a licensed copy of the Soviet An-12. The development of the serial production of the An-12 in China began immediately before the break in relations with the USSR. In parallel with the production of the aircraft, China also mastered the production of AI-20 engines, which received the Chinese designation WJ6, as well as propellers.
The new engines were long and extended forward by 2.3 m, which affected the stability of the aircraft and its controllability. The engineers solved this problem by increasing the area of the horizontal stabilizer by 2 square meters. m and a span of 400 mm. Chinese engineers completely redesigned the aircraft's bomb bay to accommodate radar operators and avionics.
On June 10, 1971, the prototype of the AWACS aircraft, designated KJ-1, entered flight tests.
The first Chinese AWACS aircraft KJ-1
The aircraft was built in the shortest possible time. The Chinese spent only 1 year and 7 months to create a prototype of the AWACS aircraft. The screws of the previous piston engines rotated to the right (the entire aerodynamics of the Tu-4 was designed for such a moment of operation of the power plant), the new turbine engine had left-hand rotation screws. A heeling moment arose, and the Chinese engineers decided to equip the aircraft with take-off rocket boosters to counteract the unwanted yaw of the aircraft. There was also a vibration caused by the effect of the antenna on the keel of the aircraft, as a result of which the aircraft shook so much in the air that the crew was very exhausted during the flight. However, soon this problem was also solved.
During test flights, the KJ-1 flew several hundred hours. It was found that the radar could detect a target such as an N-6 (Tu-16) bomber at a distance of 300-350 km, transport aircraft at a distance of up to 250 km. In one of the experiments, a surface target was detected at a distance of 300 km. But China's lag in the field of radioelement base did not allow at that time to create a truly effective AWACS aircraft with satisfactory characteristics of the reliability of radar equipment and the protection of the crew from microwave radiation.
Currently, the first Chinese AWACS aircraft KJ-1 is in the Beijing Aviation Museum
The next time in the PRC, they returned to the topic of creating an AWACS aircraft in the late 80s. More than 15 years have passed from the beginning of work in this direction to the practical implementation in operational models of radar stations.
Work on early warning aircraft is being concentrated at Research Institute 38 of the CETC Corporation, located in Hefei. This research institute is a major center for the development of electronics and radar technology, leading development in the interests of the armed forces.
In 1998, the Y-8J (AEW) maritime patrol aircraft made its maiden flight with an emphasis on early warning radar missions. It was created on the basis of the Y-8C serial transport aircraft, and, unlike its predecessor, its glazed nose was replaced with a radar fairing.
Marine patrol aircraft Y-8J
The aircraft is mainly intended for monitoring the maritime situation. At the same time, it can track 32 naval surface targets, including even such as the submarine's periscope. Chinese sources reported that there are capabilities for the detection of air targets and the guidance of fighters.
The radar of the Y-8J aircraft was created on the basis of the British Skymaster radar. Six to eight of these systems were sold in China by the British company Racal under a contract valued at $ 66 million.
The Skymaster radar is a pulse-Doppler radar operating in the I-band. It has a target detection range of 5 square meters. m 85 km in the view mode of the lower hemisphere, 110 km of the upper and 230 km of the surface target.
In total, it is known about the use of four Y-8J aircraft. Apparently, they are a temporary solution for the PLA Navy.
Due to the complexity of creating the entire complex of equipment for the AWACS aircraft and the lack of practical experience and a suitable platform, the PRC leadership decided to play it safe and attract foreign developers to this topic.
As a result of negotiations between Russia, Israel and the PRC in 1997, a contract was signed for the joint development, construction and subsequent delivery of airborne early warning and control systems to China. It was assumed that the Russian TANTK them. G. M. Beriev will create an aircraft on the basis of the serial A-50 for the installation of an Israeli-made radio engineering complex with the EL / M-205 "Falcon" radar (PHALCON). The new radio-technical complex (RTK) was intended for radar detection of enemy aircraft, airspace control, as well as for controlling its combat aircraft. In addition, the Chinese AWACS aircraft was supposed to be equipped with radio reconnaissance equipment capable of intercepting radio communications and monitoring the electronic situation in the combat area.
The complex is based on the EL / M-205 multifunctional pulse-Doppler radar developed by the Israeli company Elta. It consists of three active phased antenna arrays, forming a triangle and located above the fuselage in a fixed mushroom fairing with a diameter of 11.5 m (larger than that of the E-3 and A-50). According to the developers of the station, the rather low carrier frequency of the radar of the decimeter range (1, 2-1, 4 GHz), in combination with the high speed of the used computer technology and special noise suppression devices, provides potential opportunities for detecting cruise missiles and aircraft developed using the technology Stealth.
Within two years, from 1997 to 1999, one of the serial A-50s from the Russian Air Force with tail number 44 was refurbished in Taganrog. After that, the plane flew to Israel to install the Falcon radio complex. The work was generally completed by July 2000. For the PLA Air Force, it was planned to supply a total of four aircraft.
But under the most powerful pressure from the United States, Israel had to first suspend the implementation of the contract in the summer of 2000, and then officially notify the PRC authorities of its refusal to further participate in the project. The radio-technical complex was dismantled from the plane, and he himself was returned to China. After Israel left the program, the PRC leadership decided to continue work on the program independently, equipping the aircraft it received with a radio-technical complex with AFAR, communication and data transmission facilities of national development. Since the PRC did not have any other suitable for the role of the carrier of the AWACS radio complex, it was decided to build subsequent serial radar patrol aircraft on the basis of a part of the Il-76MD transport aircraft delivered to China in the 90s.
KJ-2000
The aircraft, which received the designation KJ-2000 ("Kun Jing", can be translated as "Heavenly Eye"), made its first flight in November 2003. Just a year after the start of flight tests of the first prototype KJ-2000 at the plant in Xi'an, they began to manufacture serial AWACS systems.
At the end of 2007, four serial AWACS KJ-2000 aircraft were officially put into service. There are no reliable data on the characteristics of the radio engineering complex in open sources. It is known that the flight crew of the KJ-2000 consists of five people and 10-15 operators. The aircraft can carry out patrolling at altitudes of 5-10 km. The maximum flight range is 5000 km, the flight duration is 7 hours 40 minutes. Externally, the serial KJ-2000 differ little from the prototype, but the absence of a boom for refueling in the air is striking.
Satellite image of Google earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-2000
The adoption of the KJ-2000 aircraft undoubtedly made it possible to significantly increase the PLA Air Force's ability to detect air targets, including low-flying and stealthy ones. As for the prospects, one detachment of AWACS aircraft consisting of five (including a prototype) KJ-2000 is clearly not enough for China. It is likely that the next aircraft of this class will be built on the basis of the Il-76 aircraft purchased in Russia. In 2011, a contract was signed, according to which in 2013-2015. ten Il-76TDs from the presence of the Russian Air Force will be delivered. In addition, the PRC is developing its own heavy transport aircraft Y-20.
Chinese military transport aircraft Y-20
On January 26, 2013, the Chinese media reported that the first prototype of the Y-20 heavy military transport aircraft took off from the airfield of the XAS aircraft manufacturer located in Yanlan.
The next Chinese AWACS aircraft to take off for the first time in 2001 was the KJ-200 (Y-8W). The Y-8 F-200 military transport aircraft became the platform for it. The aircraft is equipped with a radar similar to the Swedish Ericsson Erieye AESA with a target detection range of 300 to 450 km. The new aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines and feature new highly efficient six-bladed JL-4 propellers, which have increased flight range and reduced noise levels.
KJ-200
It is worth noting that the Chinese engineers, after having managed to solve the problems associated with electromagnetic compatibility, equipment cooling and protection from radiation on the KJ-2000 aircraft, successfully applied the experience to the creation of later models.
The first production KJ-200 took off on January 14, 2005. In June 2006, he was lost in a disaster. At the same time, testers and development engineers of the radio engineering complex were among the dead, which, according to experts, complicated the implementation of the program for creating Chinese AWACS systems. Nevertheless, Chinese specialists managed to complete the tests of the KJ-200 in a fairly short time, and complexes of this type began to enter service with the PLA Air Force.
According to foreign experts, at least six aircraft are currently in service.
Satellite image of Google Earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-200
The development of the KJ-200 was the ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle, created by order of the Pakistani Air Force. In 2011, China handed over the first early warning aircraft to Pakistan.
ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle
The aircraft is built on the basis of the Y-8F-400 transport aircraft. Unlike the KJ-200, a mushroom antenna, which is more familiar to AWACS aircraft, is installed on the Pakistani aircraft. According to the Pakistani military, this arrangement of the RTK antenna system in a "classic" rotating disc fairing above the fuselage is more in line with the requirements of the Pakistani Air Force.
Three ZDK-03 aircraft delivered to Pakistan became the first Chinese AWACS systems to be exported. The production of all key components of the radar complex, including the AFAR transceiver modules, is localized in China. Processors used for high-speed data processing are also designed and manufactured in the PRC.
Satellite image of Google earth: AWACS aircraft ZDK-03 at Masrour airfield
According to experts, the ZDK-03 AWACS aircraft in its capabilities is close to the American E-2C Hawkeye deck-based aircraft. The Masrour airfield in the vicinity of Karachi is defined as the permanent base airfield ZDK-03 in Pakistan.
In 2011, there were reports of the development in the PRC of a prototype of a deck-based AWACS aircraft. Moreover, the prototypes were built in two modifications, significantly different from each other in the layout of the RTK antenna.
The base model for the new AWACS aircraft, designated JZY-01, was the transport Y-7, which, in turn, is a copy of the An-26.
On the first modification of the JZY-01 aircraft, the radar antenna was made similarly to the KJ-200
The second modification, the tests of which, apparently, advanced further, had a classic antenna in a mushroom fairing. However, according to some experts, it is made not rotating, but stationary, and inside it, like on the larger Chinese AWACS aircraft KJ-2000, three active phased antenna arrays are placed in a triangle, thereby providing a circular view.
The power plant has undergone major changes compared to the original Y-7. The standard WJ-5A turboprop (development of the Soviet AI-24) is likely replaced by more powerful WJ-6C engines with six-bladed JL-4 propellers - such, for example, are used on the new Chinese military transport aircraft Y-9 and ground AWACS complexes KJ-200 and ZDK-03.
In this case, the aircraft does not have a landing hook, which is necessary for any carrier-based aircraft. In addition, the Chinese prototype does not have specially modified landing gear typical for carrier-based aircraft. There is no folding mechanism on the wings. The aircraft shown in the photographs is most likely a prototype for testing the aerodynamic characteristics of a deck flying radar.
Satellite image of Google Earth: AWACS aircraft JZY-01 at the factory Xi'an airfield
And the very possibility of basing a carrier-based aircraft, created on the basis of the An-26, on the not too large Chinese aircraft carrier "Liaoning" (in the past life "Varyag") with a displacement of 60,000 tons raises doubts. The amount of work on changing the design of the JZY-01 will be no less than when developing a new special deck aircraft. Currently, an aircraft with a circular antenna RTK is located at the factory airfield in Xi'an.
In the PRC, the creation of new modifications of AWACS aircraft with higher airborne radar characteristics continues. The Chinese aircraft radar industry has made a breakthrough from mechanical scanning radar to active phased array systems. CETC Corporation specialists have created a three-coordinate early warning radar with AFAR, i.e. a radar that provides electronic scanning in altitude and azimuth.
In mid-2014, there were reports of the adoption of a new version of the "medium aircraft" AWACS with the KJ-500 index based on the Y-8F-400 transporter. Unlike the KJ-200 version with a "log" radar, the new aircraft has a circular radar antenna on the mast.
KJ-500
The KJ-500 is similar to the ZDK-03, which was supplied by the Pakistani Air Force, but is equipped with a new radar that features a "blister" on the top of the antenna.
Satellite image of Google Earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-500 at the Hanzhong airfield
The Chinese industry has already produced several aircraft of this type, which entered the combat unit of the PLA Air Force. Currently, these machines are based at the Hanzhong airfield.
Satellite image of Google Earth: AWACS aircraft KJ-500, JZY-01, KJ-200 at the factory Xi'an airfield
The construction, repair and modernization of all Chinese AWACS aircraft is carried out at the Xi'an Aviation Industry Corporation (located in the capital of Shaanxi province - Xi'an).
A great achievement of the Chinese radio-electronic industry is the localization of the production of all components of electronic equipment for AWACS aircraft in the PRC. The onboard data processing systems use computers designed and manufactured in China, which enhances information security. A number of communication and information systems and software for them are unified for all Chinese AWACS aircraft, this, of course, reduces the cost of production and facilitates maintenance.
