China's "magic eye" threatens US stealth fighters
China's most advanced early warning aircraft is capable of revealing advanced stealth fighters, including the US F-35, according to analysts.
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| China is currently developing the KJ-600 early warning aircraft. |
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), on January 22, China confirmed for the first time that its military is developing the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, which can land on aircraft carriers.
The announcement comes after the US deployed F-35 stealth fighters to military bases in Japan and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, which is believed to pose a major challenge to China's air defense systems.
Chinese observers say the KJ-600 is equipped with an advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that can detect stealth fighters like the US F-22 and F-35.
Beijing-based military expert Lie Jie said that thanks to AESA, the KJ-600 could become an airborne command center. “AESA can detect stealth fighters at long range.”
This helps to shorten the military technology gap between China and the US, enhancing the combat capability of aircraft carrier strike groups.
Specifically, the KJ-600 is completely capable of landing on China's third aircraft carrier, which is being built in Shanghai.
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| The US is currently increasing its F-35 stealth fighter jets to Japan. |
The KJ-600 is said to have a design that looks like the E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft, known as the "eye of the sky" of the US military.
“The biggest advantage of the KJ-600 is its ability to detect signals at long range and clearly illuminate stealth aircraft at certain angles,” said expert Zhou Chenming.
Currently, China's aircraft carrier strike group is limited by ship-mounted radar, which is limited by the curvature of the Earth.
Researcher Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) said that the KJ-600 development project shows that China wants its aircraft carrier group to operate further from shore.
The appearance of modern early warning aircraft like the KJ-600 will certainly make the US military worried, because American stealth fighters will no longer have a monopoly on the battlefield, Chinese analysts said.