KJ-2000 Mainring

The Shaanxi KJ-2000 (NATO reporting name: Mainring) is a Chinese second-generation airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. It is the first AEW&C system to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Development of the KJ-2000 began after the July 2000 cancellation of a joint Sino-Russian-Israeli A-50I project, which was abandoned due to United States pressure regarding the export of the Israeli EL/M-2075 Phalcon radar. Denied import options, China developed an indigenous system using a modified Russian Ilyushin Il-76 airframe. The aircraft made its first flight in 2003. Production has been limited by the availability of Russian-supplied Il-76 airframes, leading to a March 2011 Sino-Russian agreement to transition Il-76 production to Chinese-owned companies utilizing Soloviev D-30KP-2 engines. Five aircraft were estimated to be in service with the PLAAF as of 2008.

Design

The KJ-2000 features a stationary, 14-meter-diameter disc-shaped radome. This radome houses three active electronically scanned array (AESA) phased array radar modules arranged in an equilateral triangle. Each module covers a 120-degree sector to provide full 360-degree coverage. Developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET), the multi-function, three-dimensional pulse-Doppler radar operates in the 1200–1400 MHz frequency range. It has a maximum detection range of 470 km against fighter-sized targets and 1,200 km against ballistic missiles, with the capacity to track 60 to 100 targets simultaneously. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 175,000 kg, a maximum speed of 850 km/h, a range of 5,500 km, and an endurance of 7 hours and 40 minutes.

Operational History

The PLAAF established its first AWACS regiment in late 2004 at an airfield in southern China under the command of Zhang Guangjian. The first KJ-2000 was delivered to this base in 2005, where it has operated alongside the smaller KJ-200. In 2013, three KJ-2000 aircraft conducted a 24-hour coverage drill spanning Northwest China, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. Due to the limited supply of Russian Il-76 airframes, China has planned to transition the radar system from the Il-76 platform to the domestic Xian Y-20 airframe.

Variants

• KJ-3000: A variant featuring a fixed next-generation radar that was reportedly spotted in 2013.