Carrier-based AWACS aircraft are essential for naval operations, and in addition to carrier-based fighters, other types of aircraft such as anti-submarine patrol aircraft, search and rescue aircraft, and carrier-based AWACS aircraft are needed. Carrier-based early warning aircraft play an important role in aircraft carrier operations, but when China develops aircraft carriers, carrier-based early warning aircraft has always been a blank. Traditional powers such as the United States and France have equipped aircraft carriers with E2C or E2D carrier-based AWACS.
China has successively equipped large early warning aircraft such as the Air Police 2000 and the Air Police 500, but these early warning aircraft are too large to be used by the sea. It will take a long time to re-develop a carrier-based AWACS aircraft, and the development of aircraft carriers is imminent, so temporary imports from abroad have become the only option. In 2010, China imported 9 Ka-31 early warning aircraft from Russia
Ka-31 is based on the Ka-25 research and development of early warning *** At that time, China lacked fixed-wing early warning aircraft, and the development of early warning *** was the only choice. Similarly, the United Kingdom was also equipped with Sea King early warning in the tenth century, and it should be noted that there is a huge gap between early warning and fixed-wing early warning aircraft in terms of performance, both in terms of endurance and information processing capabilities.
China's import of Ka-31 early warning from Russia is only for temporary emergency use, with the Liaoning ship that is about to enter service. The performance of the Ka-31 Early Warning *** includes a maximum range of 600 kilometers and a range of 25-3 hours, the combat radius is about 150 km.
It is equipped with an E801M "Eye" air and sea surveillance radar with a rectangular passive phased array sky radar, capable of simultaneously detecting 200 fighter-type targets and tracking 20 of them. It has an early warning range of 120 km against fighters, ** and cruise missiles, more than 250 km against small ships, and more than 300 km against large targets.
However, the Ka-31 also has a series of problems, such as the excessive weight of the radar, which severely limits the payload of ***. The Chinese Navy's early warning card 31 and Z-18Y The Chinese Navy has been committed to improving its strategic early warning capabilities, in which early warning plays an important role. Today we will introduce two types of early warning *** cards 31 and Z-18Y used by the Chinese Navy. Ka-31 early warning *** is an advanced equipment imported by China from Russia.
It is mainly used for intelligence collection and information gathering, and needs to rely on aircraft carriers to complete related work. The Ka-31 can efficiently detect sea and air targets and transmit intelligence to the command center in a timely manner, providing important support for naval operations. At the same time, the Chinese Navy has also independently developed a carrier-based early warning *** Z-18Y. With a long range and endurance, this *** can detect and track sea and air targets in a wide sea area.
The Z-18Y not only has strong anti-jamming capabilities and electronic warfare capabilities, but also can adapt to complex maritime environments. In contrast, the Ka 31 has only two operators, while the Z-18Y has a more complex staffing and requires four people to operate. Today, the aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy are basically equipped with the direct 18Y early warning, which has been significantly improved in performance and has become the main force of China's maritime early warning.
Its commissioning has further enhanced the Chinese Navy's strategic early warning capability and provided an important guarantee for safeguarding the country's maritime rights and interests. Despite this, the Ka-31 still has some use in the Chinese Navy, especially in some auxiliary missions. The Ka-31 is still able to play to its strengths as a full-fledged early warning tool, providing the intelligence and information needed by the Navy. All in all, the Chinese Navy has made significant progress in the development of early warning***.
The Ka 31 and Z 18Y represent two different development paths, introduction and independent research and development, respectively. The Ka-31 still has some use in the Chinese Navy, but the Z-18Y has become the main force of China's maritime early warning. This development not only enhances the Chinese Navy's strategic early warning capability, but also demonstrates China's strength in military equipment research and development.
In the future, with the continuous progress and innovation of technology, we have reason to believe that the Chinese Navy's early warning will continue to grow and make greater contributions to the defense of national maritime rights and interests. At present, the Air Police 600 early warning aircraft has not yet been officially put into use, so there is no clear answer to the question of whether it can take off in a glide jump on the Liaoning and Shandong ships. The large size of the Air Police 600 may pose a challenge for glide takeoffs.
However, depending on the aircraft carrier design and the possibility of improvement, the size and weight of the Air Police 600 may be adjusted to accommodate the glide jump takeoff. If the Air Police 600 cannot take off in a glide jump on the Liaoning and Shandong ships, then the Z-18Y*** may still be the main choice for carrier-based early warning aircraft.
Although there are some limitations in terms of range and endurance compared to fixed-wing AWACS aircraft, it has the ability to take off and land vertically, is more adaptable, and can be deployed in a shorter time. In addition, it can also perform other tasks such as search and rescue. Overall, whether it is the Air Police 600 or the Z-18Y, the use of carrier-based early warning aircraft will greatly improve the comprehensive combat capability of China's naval aircraft carrier formation.
Regardless of the scheme, the development of our own carrier-based fixed-wing AWACS aircraft is still an important goal.