The following is based on a translation of a report in Chinese media:

Chinese media people.com.cn reports on China’s new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, the KJ-500.

The report says that though its platform is smaller than the KJ-2000, the KJ-500 as an all-weather integrated airborne early warning, command and control aircraft is more mature, advanced and complete in technologies and stronger and more powerful in combat capabilities than the KJ-2000.

The KJ-500 uses the same new phased array radar and disk-shaped antenna as the KJ-2000, but through digitalising, network and integrating transformation and upgrading of the electronic IT system in the entire aircraft, the aircraft has more prominent capabilities in target detection and positioning, data processing and merger, access to and relay of network, command, guidance and control, resistance to electronic jamming and detection of stealth weapons.

It is able not only to track, monitor and manage various batches of targets in a wide range of dimensions but also guide fighter jets in various areas, layers and batches to conduct differentiated accurate strikes at the targets it has locked on.

The report continues that the KJ-2000 was regarded as China’s second-generation AEW&C aircraft, and the KJ-500 is the third generation.

The report also claims that some foreign media compare it with US newest E-737 and therefore both have attained the standards for a new generation of AEW&C aircraft.

This means there is no disparity in AEW&C technology between the U.S. and China.

It is an undeniable fact that China has made breakthrough in key technologies in developing its KJ-500.

The report concludes that China will soon deploy the KJ-500 to its troops.

In addition, in order to deal with new-type of targets with super manoeuvrability, high speed and low altitude that are tiny in size, highly stealthy and low in speed and to satisfy the objective demand for improvement in undetectability, protection, manoeuvrability and cruise duration, China has set even higher standards for its new AEW&C aircrafts to enable them to detect not only warplanes and warships but also aerospace flying objects.

Source: military.people.com.cn “Military experts bare the secrets of KJ-500: combat capabilities reach new high” (summary by Chan Kai Yee based on the report in Chinese)

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