Earlier today, open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources published images of the new KJ-600 AEW&C aircraft from China’s Navy aircraft carrier Fujian, flying in formation with the carrier’s J-15 fighter jets. The airborne early warning and control aircraft observed in the photographs appears to bear the number 7105, which is believed to be a prototype unit used in several of the test flights carried out by the service so far, pointing toward an expected integration of the platform in the near future.
It is worth recalling that the KJ-600 AEW&C aircraft was first seen flying in September 2020, when it was spotted in the skies over Xi’an, in China’s Shaanxi province. As is common practice with projects of this nature, the Chinese Ministry of Defense refrained from confirming the event to local media, though it was unable to prevent the release of commercial satellite images showing one of these aircraft at an airbase nearby. However, until now, no images with the clarity of those recently published had been available.
From the beginning, analysts have pointed out the aircraft’s striking resemblance to the E-2 Hawkeye platform operated by the United States Navy since the 1960s. Broadly speaking, both aircraft share several features, including a high, straight-wing design, twin turboprop engines (initially of the WJ-6C type, with potential upgrades to the more modern WJ-10), and a tail structure with four vertical stabilizers. Additionally, the aircraft carries a radar dome mounted on its upper fuselage, produced by the Aircraft Industrial Corporation.
As such, the KJ-600 would make the Chinese Navy the third military force in the world to operate a fixed-wing carrier-based AEW&C aircraft, a significant step forward in strengthening the capabilities of China’s Carrier Strike Groups. Currently, only the U.S. and French navies operate this type of platform from their aircraft carriers, while other countries such as the United Kingdom and Italy rely on shorter-range helicopters for airborne early warning missions.
More recently, in March 2024, mock-ups of the aircraft were spotted on the deck of the Fujian, alongside models of the J-15 fighters and the fifth-generation stealth fighter J-35. Although the KJ-600 has yet to be officially inducted into service, the presence of mock-ups aboard the Fujian has helped save time by allowing crews to familiarize themselves with potential deck operations involving the aircraft, especially considering that Fujian is the first Chinese Navy carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults.
Image credits: @RupprechtDeino on X
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