The prototype Xian KJ-600 AEW plane is painted in a aqua-marine. The two-tone rotodome suggests a single-face radar which has to spin around to create a 360 degree picture H I Sutton, Imagery from Planet Labs Inc
Forbes: First Image Of China’s New Carrier-Based AEW Plane
The Chinese Navy is building a fleet of aircraft carriers that will be the second largest in the world. However, they currently lack airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, which is considered a vital component of a balanced air wing. This is set to change with the introduction of the Xian KJ-600 carrier-borne AEW aircraft. It looks remarkably like the U.S. Navy’s E-2C Hawkeye.
The prototype KJ-600 has been spotted in satellite imagery of the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation’s airfield at Xian-Yanliang in central China. This is where many prototype planes are first seen. Chris Biggers, an imagery intelligence expert, identified the new aircraft in commercial satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs.
Although these are the first images of the prototype, evidence of the KJ-600 program has been seen before. A mock-up of the plane was spotted in August 2018 on a full scale concrete aircraft carrier built hundreds of miles inland at Wuhan. This training facility is used by the Chinese Navy to test deck layouts.
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WNU Editor: This is why this airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft is a big deal for the Chinese navy .... The Xian KJ-600 Could Make China's Aircraft Carriers Far More Powerful (National Interest).
