KJ-2000 Mainring
Summary
| Category | Military Special Mission Aircraft |
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 China |
| Manufacturer | Xi'an |
| First flight | 1 January 2003 |
| Year introduced | 2005 |
| Number produced | 5 units |
Technical specifications
| Version: KJ-2000 | |
|---|---|
| Operational range | 5,500 km (3,418 mi) |
| Endurance | 7 hours |
| Maximum speed | 850 km/h (528 mph) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 175,000 kg (385,808 lbs) |
| Powerplant | Soloviev D-30KP-2 |
Current operating countries
All operators
Description
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.
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.
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.
Main Variants
- KJ-3000: A variant featuring a fixed next-generation radar that was reportedly spotted in 2013.