KJ-200 Moth

The KJ-200 (NATO reporting name: Moth), also designated Y-8W and known among observers as the GX-5, is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation of China. Derived from the Shaanxi Y-8 military transport, it entered service with the People's Liberation Army in 2007 and is identified by the dorsal "plank" radar housing carrying an active electronically scanned array.

Development

Development began in 2002 after the United States blocked the sale of the Israeli EL/W-2090 Phalcon radar system to China. According to Science and Technology Daily, Shaanxi chief designer Ouyang Shaoxiu led the programme, which modified approximately 80 percent of the baseline Y-8 airframe. The first flight took place in January 2005. The second prototype crashed in 2006 as a result of wing icing, an accident that according to Chinese reporting almost derailed the programme. Ten aircraft are in Chinese service: four with the People's Liberation Army Air Force and six with the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force.

Design

The airframe is based on the Y-8 four-engine turboprop transport, extensively reworked for the AEW&C role. The primary sensor is the JY-06 active electronically scanned array radar, mounted in a "plank" or balance-beam housing above the fuselage. This configuration is externally comparable to installations of the Ericsson Erieye radar, as used on the Embraer R-99 and Saab 340 AEW. Later production variants added satellite communications and revised mission electronics, and the KJ-200A introduced a redesigned nose section.

Operational History

The KJ-200 entered PLA service in 2007 and made its first official public appearance at the 2009 Chinese National Day Parade. Aircraft serve with both air force and naval aviation units, the latter operating over the South China Sea and adjacent waters. In February 2017, a KJ-200 and a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion inadvertently passed within 1,000 feet (300 metres) of each other over the South China Sea. No export customers have been recorded.

Variants

• KJ-200: Base production variant with JY-06 dorsal AESA radar.
• KJ-200A: Modified KJ-200 with revised nose section and new electronics, first observed in December 2016.
• KJ-200AG: Unofficial designation for a KJ-200A fitted with an inflight refuelling probe.
• KJ-200H: Variant modified for People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force service.
• KJ-200B: Adds satellite communications and new electronics; first observed in 2016 and in service from 2023.