Combat planes displayed at V-Day parade: KJ-600

One of the features in the carrier-borne aircraft squadron was the public debut of the KJ-600 early-warning and control plane.

Co-developed by aircraft designers at AVIC and radar researchers from China Electronics Technology Group Corp, one of the world's largest suppliers of defense electronics, KJ-600 is the fourth fixed-wing early-warning and control plane deployed by the Navy and also the largest, heaviest and most capable of its kind to be used on Chinese aircraft carriers.

Its first carrier will be the Fujian, which has conducted several sea trials and is expected to enter service in the coming months.

The KJ-600 is propelled by two turboprop engines, and sports a high-mounted wing, a quad-fin tail, tricycle gear and a large dorsal rotodome, which analysts have claimed to house an active electronically scanned array radar.

The use of a quad-fin tail promises safety and stability when the plane takes off or lands on a carrier, and is also intended to suit for the limited space inside the hangar.

Xiong Jia, a defense technology observer, said that in naval warfare, the ability to detect incoming hostile objects as far as possible is crucial to ensuring the safety of one's own ships.

"Because the greater the detection distance, the more thorough the preparations one can make for defense. However, ship-borne radars are constrained by a host of factors so they are unable to spot and track hostile targets at long range. For instance, the curvature of the Earth greatly restricts their detection range for low-altitude targets. Therefore, carrier-based early-warning aircraft are essential," he explained.

Zhang Xuefeng, a military hardware observer and retired PLA officer, said the KJ-600 is the final component needed to complete the Chinese carrier force's combat system, significantly enhancing carrier strike groups' fighting prowess.

"An important role of carriers is to conduct land and sea strike missions, which requires their group to make forward deployment and move beyond the detection and support range of land-based radars. With fixed-wing early-warning and control aircraft, they can be deployed far from shore to undertake reconnaissance and attack tasks," he said.