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Xian KJ-600

2023 MODERN

History of the Xi'an KJ-600

China's growing naval importance, especially in the disputed South China Sea, is reflected in an equally growing aircraft carrier fleet. The ships carry an array of aircraft designed to provide the People's Liberation Army (PLAN) navy with power projection capabilities, especially since a future enemy could include the island nation of Taiwan.

In addition to its airborne combat/strike arms, which consist mostly of Soviet/Russian-inspired designs, the Chinese Navy has also begun using the new Xi'an "KJ-600" series of carrier-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

Based on the model shown in August 2018, the prototype shape was revealed in August 2020 using satellite imagery. The first flight is believed to have taken place in the same month.

The KJ-600 is believed to have been achieved through extensive testing of the Xi'an Y-7 (Antonov An-24) twin-turboprop regional aircraft, which was equipped with a technology demonstrator and was designated as the "JZY-01" the name of the flight. From this, the framework was developed to make the KJ-600 possible.

The design of the new aircraft is indeed unimaginative and appears to be a physical replica of the old Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye Navy aircraft still in service on US aircraft carriers. This isn't the first time America has followed American design ingenuity - the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter and Humvee utility vehicle are prime examples. Like the E-2, the KJ-600 has its radome (probably an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) type radar) mounted above the fuselage above the midship (supported by thick struts), showing rotating/folding wings To reinforce the carrier bearings, there is a vertical stabilizer with four planes, a reinforced landing gear and a grappling hook. Its twin-engine layout hangs from each high-wing main aircraft.

The side-by-side cockpit sits behind a bluntly rounded arcuate cone.

It can therefore be assumed that the surface and battlefield capabilities of the KJ-600 are the same as those of the Grumman Hawkeye. The crew is believed to consist of four to six specialists and is powered by two Zhuzhou Wojiang-6C turboprop engines, each producing 5,103 horsepower, driving a six-bladed propeller unit.

Performance includes a top speed of 430 mph, a range (ferry) of up to 1,700 miles, and a service ceiling of approximately 50,000 feet.

In addition to AEW capabilities, the KJ-600 will have inherent carrier delivery (CoD) capabilities to better serve Chinese aircraft carriers at sea.

While the Chinese navy has not yet officially entered service, the model is expected to debut in the next few years with as many as four carriers in service. Currently, Liaoning and Shandong are supplying two 003-level units (under construction at the time of writing) to the Chinese Navy.