Shaanxi KJ-200

Airborne early warning and control aircraft From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shaanxi KJ-200

The KJ-200 (Chinese: 空警-200; pinyin: Kōngjǐng Liǎngbǎi; literally: "aerial warning-200") NATO reporting name: Moth or Y-8 Balance Beam system, is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. (KJ is from the first characters of the Pinyin spelling of 空警, (Kōng Jǐng), short for 空中预警 (Kōng Zhōng Yù Jǐng), which means Airborne Early Warning).

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KJ-200
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KJ-200
General information
TypeAirborne early warning and control (AEW&C)
National originChina
ManufacturerShaanxi Aircraft Corporation
Primary userPeople's Liberation Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Navy
Number built11[1]
History
Developed fromShaanxi Y-8
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Design and development

The key component of this aircraft is an AESA radar system, visually similar to the Saab Erieye system, mounted on struts above the rear fuselage, as well as ventral sensor domes. The platform of this aircraft is based on the Shaanxi Y-8F-600 and it has been reported that Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150B turboprops and Honeywell avionics have been incorporated.

The general designer of the KJ-200 is Ouyang Shaoxiu (欧阳绍修),[2] the same general designer of the Y-8. According to Ouyang the KJ-200 has been significantly modified (around 80%) from the original Y-8,[3] including the adoption of a glass cockpit.[4]

Operational history

The project experienced a major setback in 2006, when a KJ-200 crashed into a mountain in Guangde County while undergoing tests.

During the National Day of the People's Republic of China military parade 1 October 2009, a KJ-200 took the role as a lead aircraft.[5]

In February 2017 a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion and a KJ-200 inadvertently came close to each other over the South China Sea. The aircraft were within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of each other.[6][7]

Variants

KJ-200
Base variant.
KJ-200A
Modified KJ-200 with revised nose section and new electronics. First observed in December 2016.[8]
KJ-200AG
KJ-200A with additional inflight air refueling probe.[8]
KJ-200H
Variant for PLA Navy.[8]
KJ-200B
First observed in 2016. Entered service in 2023.[8]

Operators

China People's Republic of China

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

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