A recent attack on the Crimean peninsula has once again exposed the inadequacy of the Russian air force and air defense. Due to the lack of advanced AWACS aircraft, Russia has been in a passive defensive situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. However, the intervention of China's Air Police 500 AWACS aircraft may provide Russia with a new response and open up the situation.
In a war, air supremacy is of great importance to both sides. However, despite the fact that Russia has a large number of military aircraft and is one of the best in Europe, the record of its air force is not ideal. Both in the war in Chechnya and in the fight against Georgia, the Russian Air Force suffered significant losses. Even in the Syrian civil war, the Russian Air Force failed to show what it should have in the face of an adversary with almost no air force.
A key problem is the lack of an excellent AWACS aircraft in the Russian Air Force. Although Russia also has AWACS aircraft such as A50 and A100, their performance is significantly behind the world's leading level and cannot meet the needs of the information age. This also makes it difficult for Russia to develop advanced AWACS aircraft on its own, and it can only meet its own needs through purchases. However, the AWACS aircraft of the Western camp are not suitable for choice for political reasons, and only China can provide Russia with reliable and modernized AWACS aircraft.
At present, China has three core early warning aircraft models, including Air Police 2000, Air Police 200 and Air Police 500. Among them, the Air Police 2000 is the most powerful in terms of performance, but it cannot achieve mass production due to its carrier Il-76. Although the Air Police 200 has a large output, it has certain limitations due to the use of balance beam radar. Finally, the Air Police 500 combines the advantages of the Air Police 2000 and the Air Police 200, is a small early warning aircraft, equipped with advanced radar technology, with strong search and positioning targets and anti-electronic interference capabilities, can achieve simultaneous tracking of 100 targets, search for a distance of more than 400 kilometers.
The inadequacy of the Russian Air Force and air defense is not only due to the lack of advanced AWACS aircraft, but also to a number of other reasons.
First of all, the Russian Air Force has certain problems with equipment. Although it has a large number of military aircraft and ***, the performance of these equipment is not outstanding. Especially in the modern combat environment, excellent aircraft performance is essential for combat effectiveness. Although Russia has some advanced fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, there is still a gap between Russia and the international advanced level on the whole.
Secondly, there are certain problems with the level of training and combat experience of the Russian Air Force. Although Russia has always had great strength and experience in the military field, there are still obvious deficiencies in some aspects of training and operations. This has been verified in previous battles, where the Russian army suffered large losses in both Chechnya and Georgia.
Finally, there are also shortcomings in Russia's air defense system. Despite Russia's superiority in the number of strategic bombers and air superiority fighters, the overall effectiveness of its air defense systems is not ideal. The Ukrainian side also does not have AWACS aircraft, but NATO's satellite intelligence network can replace the role of AWACS to a certain extent, which makes Russia face a one-way transparent situation when fighting in the air.
In the current situation of Russia's lack of effective early warning aircraft, the intervention of the Chinese Air Police 500 early warning aircraft will provide Russia with an important strategic advantage. As a small early warning aircraft, the Air Police 500 is not only equipped with advanced radar technology, has strong search and positioning capabilities, but also has a long reconnaissance range, which can achieve comprehensive monitoring of various targets in Ukraine.
First of all, the radar technology of the Air Police 500 adopts China's most advanced digital array components, which improves the accuracy and reliability of searching and locating targets. The search range is considerable, with the ability to comprehensively monitor the battlefield in Ukraine. This point is of great strategic significance for Ukraine's military operations, whether it is the take-off action of the Ukrainian army or the launch of missiles, it cannot escape the monitoring of the Air Police 500.
Secondly, the miniaturized design of the Air Police 500 makes it more flexible and maneuverable, and can better adapt to various complex combat environments. This is of great significance for operations in such complex terrain and tense situations as the battlefield in Ukraine, which can improve the reaction speed and actual combat capability of the Russian Air Force.
Thirdly, the introduction of the Air Police 500 will make up for the shortcomings of the Russian Air Force in the lack of AWACS aircraft and provide timely intelligence support. This is of great significance for formulating operational strategy and tactical decisions and enhancing operational effectiveness. Since there are no AWACS aircraft on the Ukrainian side, the Air Police 500 will become a pair of ** glasses for the Russian Aerospace Forces on the battlefield, allowing them to better understand the battlefield situation and make more informed decisions.
Although the Russians have always had a certain hesitation to buy large equipment from China, they have to face this reality in the absence of significant circumstances. China's Air Police 500 AWACS aircraft, as an advanced piece of equipment, will provide strategic support for the Russian Air Force and help them open up a new situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.