Netizens who pay attention to the dynamics of the active military aircraft of the Chinese Air Force are no strangers to the Air Police-2000 jet large early warning aircraft. This unique military aircraft was successfully developed on the basis of the Il-76 transport aircraft, and its distinctive feature is that it carries a "large disc" on the back of the fuselage. As a key force in air patrol, vigilance, surveillance, identification and tracking of targets, the Air Police-2000 early warning aircraft has milestone significance in the strategic system of the PLA. However, after more than 20 years of service, the performance of the Air Police-2000 has gradually failed to keep up with the needs of military struggles in the new era, and the advent of a new type of large jet airborne early warning aircraft is urgently needed.
According to open source information, China's aviation researchers are actively building a new air early warning aircraft - the Air Police-3000 large jet early warning aircraft based on the domestic Y-20 large transport aircraft platform. This possibility is highly anticipated. The Chinese Air Force has undergone a strategic transformation that will not stop at simple improvements to the Air Police-76, based on the Il-2000. The debate over the suitability of the Y-20 to create an AWACS aircraft lacks in fact a convincing reason.
Although the Il-76 transport aircraft made its first test flight in 1971, due to its long research and development years, it has inherent defects such as high fuel consumption, high noise, and no fly-by-wire control system. In contrast, the Y-20B transport aircraft successfully overcame these problems by using the domestic WS-20 large bypass ratio engine. Its advanced electric drive control system and LCD screen effectively reduce the operating pressure of the pilot, which is suitable for long-endurance flight in the air, and is an ideal platform for becoming an air police-3000 early warning aircraft.
According to the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post, the People's Liberation Army will launch a new Air Police-3000 early warning aircraft on the basis of the public appearance of the Y-20B. This move actually confirms rumors that China has developed and equipped a more advanced large jet early warning aircraft. The Air Police-3000 early warning aircraft will use a modern digital active phased array radar, abandoning the "big disc" on the back of the Air Police-2000 early warning aircraft. This innovation will significantly improve flight stability and the aerodynamic performance of the airframe, effectively increasing the safety factor of flight.
The Air Police-3000 early warning aircraft will use common antenna technology, and the active phased array radar antenna array will be arranged throughout the fuselage to achieve 360° omnidirectional scanning and real-time information refresh. Compared with the composite design of mechanical scanning + electronic scanning of the Air Police-2000, this innovation makes the new AWACS aircraft ahead of its predecessor in terms of performance. The new radar layout not only improves the distance of detecting targets, but also enhances the ability to identify ** targets, and adds "full-range electronic warfare technology" to effectively counter ** fighters.
Recently, a foreign commercial satellite photographed ** shows that three early warning aircraft radars are installed on the ground test bench of early warning aircraft radar in a certain place in China, which indirectly confirms that China is developing an air police-3000 early warning aircraft based on the Y-20B transport aircraft platform. To sum up, the advent of the Air Police-3000 will become a new milestone in the development of the Chinese Air Force, providing more advanced and efficient equipment for coping with military struggles in the new era.