China's New KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning Radar Jet Seen In Detail In New Image

Yahoo

27-05-2025

New imagery has emerged of China's new heavyweight airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform, the KJ-3000, of which the first, low-quality photos began to appear last December, as we reported at the time. Based on the four-jet Y-20 cargo plane, the KJ-3000 is part of a fast-expanding and diversifying fleet of Chinese AEW&C aircraft, which also includes multiple iterations based on the four-turboprop Y-9 series of airlifters.
While you can read the full story behind the development of China's AEW&C fleet in this previous in-depth article, the KJ-3000 is just one of the latest expressions of a massive investment in this area. As well as fielding an armada of AEW&C assets that is significantly larger than that of the U.S. Air Force, China is increasingly looking toward these assets as a key means of defending its interests as well as for pushing its combined aerial capabilities out further into the Indo-Pacific.
The latest imagery shows the KJ-3000 on the ground at an undisclosed airfield in China. The aircraft still wears a coat of primer, and the serial number 7821 is clearly visible on the forward fuselage — as far as is known, this is the only example completed so far.
So far best image of the KJ-3000 prototype, unfortunately heavily pixelated. pic.twitter.com/9rgDXWQMYQ
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 26, 2025
Although the aircraft is partially obscured, we can see the characteristic large circular radome on top of the rear fuselage. The KJ-3000 is also fitted with an aerial refueling probe mounted above the cockpit, and there is a prominent series of antennas arranged on top of the forward fuselage. Compared to the Y-20, the aircraft also features a very prominent intake at the base of the tailfin, likely a ram-air inlet to cool the extensive onboard electronics.
The KJ-3000 has long been seen as the solution to meet China's requirement for a platform to supplement the KJ-2000 Mainring, which is, to date, its largest dedicated AEW&C aircraft. You can read about it and China's wider AEW&C developments in this previous in-depth article.
The KJ-2000 is based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD Candid, another four-jet airlifter. Originally planned to be equipped with Israeli mission systems, this plan was derailed under pressure from the U.S. Clinton administration. Instead, the KJ-2000 was fitted with Chinese-developed systems, installed on four ex-China United Airlines Il-76MD aircraft. The KJ-2000's active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar comprises three antennas in a triangular configuration within a fixed radome.
The four KJ-2000s were declared operational in 2007 and are based in Jiangsu province, facing key adversaries Japan and Taiwan.
Regardless of the operational effectiveness of the KJ-2000, China was only able to produce more of these aircraft due to the strictly limited number of Russian-built Il-76MDs available for conversion.
As a result, the Y-20 was quickly earmarked as a likely platform for a follow-on to the KJ-2000 and this program seems to have gained momentum once the definitive Y-20B transport became available in 2020.
The Y-20B is powered by the domestically produced WS-20 high-bypass turbofan engine, which is a significant advance over the Russian D-30KP-2 engine found on the original Y-20A.
Ok, it goes on and on and on: second surprise this morning, the new KJ-3000 (?) AEW performed its maiden flight at XAC and from what can be seen on the first few small & blurry images, it is as expected a Y-20B-based design featuring a large rotodome but also a bulge on the tail. pic.twitter.com/MTp9A6dfDh
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) December 27, 2024
The KJ-3000 is not the first development of the Y-20 for the People's Liberation Air Force (PLAAF), another being the YY-20A aerial refueling tanker, which is also now in service.
With such a small fleet of KJ-2000s available, and with these airframes tied to supply chains in Russia, maintenance and support cannot be straightforward, and these issues will only become more problematic as the aircraft gets older.
With that in mind, the opportunity to introduce a potentially much larger fleet of KJ-3000s is a very big deal for the PLAAF, especially since it will also be more advanced than its predecessor.
Once in service, the KJ-3000 will be easier to upgrade and, very importantly, it will be available for potential export. Pakistan, which already operates Chinese-supplied radar planes and which may well have used them to significant effect in its recent conflict with India, could be one country with an interest in buying them.
Unclear is the degree to which the KJ-3000 may offer capabilities beyond those found in the KJ-2000, although this would appear to be a given, with the Mainring having made its maiden flight more than 20 years ago. As it is, the radar of the KJ-2000 is said to have a maximum range of almost 300 miles, and it's reportedly able to track hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously. Imagery available so far suggests that the KJ-3000 may use a radar array with two, rather than three antennas, although this cannot be confirmed at this point.
And IMO even more important than all other so far posted news today, the so far blurry images of the KJ-3000 AEW are getting clearing,Interesting, it features an IRF-probe and – in contrast to the KJ-2000 – not a fixed radar with three arrays but a large rototome with two. pic.twitter.com/7i9XLaLOde
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) December 28, 2024
As we've discussed in the past, the KJ-3000, with its efficient engines and in-flight refueling capability, should offer plenty of advantages in terms of range, and on-station time.
Chinese efforts to add aerial refueling capabilities to its AEW&C fleet are something that is referenced in the latest Pentagon report to Congress on China's military, released late last year.
'Production and deliveries of the KJ-500 — the PRC's most advanced airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft — continued at a rapid pace, joining earlier KJ-2000 Mainring and KJ-200 Moth variants,' the report states. 'These aircraft amplify the PLAAF's ability to detect, track, and target threats in varying conditions, in larger volumes, and at greater distances. It extends the range of the PLA's IADS [integrated air defense system] network. Furthermore, the PRC has produced at least one KJ-500 with an aerial refueling probe, which will improve the aircraft's ability to provide persistent AEW&C coverage.'
The KJ-3000 would also be able to fly at higher altitudes to provide a better perch for its radar. This is very important, especially for providing 'look down' capability to spot and track low-flying aircraft and missiles that radars down below might not be able to 'see' due to terrain and other factors.
The KJ-3000 almost certainly has other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities beyond just its radar, as well. At least as important is its likely function as a networking node, reflecting a growing area of interest for the Chinese military in general, and something that is especially valuable over the long distances in the Indo-Pacific theater.
The KJ-3000 was seen again pic.twitter.com/5f3wW0JbZJ
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 26, 2025
Uniquely, China is currently pursuing a multitrack approach to expanding its AEW&C fleet.
As well as the heavyweight KJ-3000, there's a growing fleet of radar planes based on the smaller Y-9 transport. The latest of these is the KJ-700, which we discussed recently, and which is likely a 'multi-intelligence' aircraft, combining both airborne radar as well as an array of electro-optical and infrared sensors, likely intended to track targets across air, sea, and potentially land domains.
The turboprop-powered KJ-700 joins the KJ-200 and KJ-500 series. As we have discussed before, these smaller types of turboprop-powered AEW&C platforms are especially well-suited to operations from more dispersed and even austere bases. As such, these mid-size radar planes regularly appear at some of China's island outposts, as well as operating routinely in the highly strategic Taiwan Strait.
While we don't know for sure what kind of radar and other mission systems the KJ-3000 might be fitted with, its continued development is very significant as part of China's developing AEW&C capabilities. At the very least, a larger jet-powered airframe should be an important complement to the country's smaller but increasingly capable turboprop AEW&C platforms.
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