KJ-2000

KJ-2000 (NATO reporting name: Mainring) is a Chinese Airborne Early Warning and Control system comprising domestically designed electronics and radars installed on a modified Ilyushin IL-76 airframe. KJ is the first character from the Chinese language Pinyin spelling of Kong Jing (空警), short for Kong Zhong Yu Jing (空中预警), which means Airborne Early Warning.

Development
The KJ-2000 development program started after the cancellation of the A-50I deal with Israel and Russia in July 2000, due to strong U.S. pressure and interference regarding the Israeli radar that was to be mounted. China then went on to developing a domestic AWACS and the first aircraft made its maiden flight in 2003. Four KJ-2000 aircraft have been identified so far. Production of new aircraft will likely be delayed, as it depends on the acquisition of more IL-76 airframes from Russia in the future. Currently, the Russian defense exporter Rosoboronexport has imposed a significant price hike on all future IL-76s delivered to China and India despite previous contract. Both countries are currently in negotiation with Russia regarding this matter as of early 2008. In March 2011, Russia/China negotiation reaches a new agreement to move production of IL-76s to Chinese owned companies, in this way it is expected production can be run smoothly to supply China new IL-76s, while delivery of D-30KP-2 engines is not affected by recent issues. Because of the unreliable foreign supplier source, China had developed a backup known as the KJ-200 by installing a simplified system on board the Shaanxi Y-8. This aircraft has a similar configuration to that of the KJ-2000 and the platform is characterized by the triple tail configuration (one large and two small).

Design
The current KJ-2000 AWACS in Chinese service is equipped with a domestic AESA (active electronically scanned array), also known as active phased array, radar. The radar was designed by the Research Institute of Electronic Technology (also more commonly known as the 14th Institute) at Nanjing, and it utilizes the experience gained from the 14th Institute's earlier indigenously developed Type H/LJG-346 SAPARS (Shipborne Active Phased Array Radar System) that was completed in 1998. The same Type H/LJG-346 SAPARS was also the predecessor of the active phased array radar system equipping the PLAN Lanzhou class destroyers. The chief and deputy designers of KJ-2000 are Wang Xiaomo (王小谟, Nov 11, 1938 -) and Cao Chen (曹晨), who also designed KJ-200. The chief designer of the radar system of KJ-2000 is Mr. Wu Manqing (吴曼青, Aug 1965 -), who is also the chief designer of the radars of KJ-200. The chief designer of the radar radome of KJ-2000 is Mr. Bai Shucheng (白树成), who is also the chief designer of the conformal antenna on the reentry capsule of Shenzhou (spacecraft) (radar radome of KJ-2000 took 6 years to develop, from 1995 to 2001). Wang Xiaomo and Wu Manqing are academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering. Mr. Wu Manqing, the head of 38th Research Institute, also lead his team to develop an indigenous domestic Chinese processor named Spirit Chip # 1 (Hun-Xin Yi-Hao 魂芯一号), which is more than six times more capable than similar western products available on the market at the time, and it is this domestic processor that made KJ-2000 and other Chinese AEWAC systems possible. The radar is arranged in the same way as that of the Beriev A-50I.

KJ-3000
A new variant with a fixed next generation radar was spotted.

Operational history
The PLAAF's first AWACS regiment was established at a small and remote airfield in southern China, for security reasons, during late 2004. The commander appointed to the regiment was Zhang Guangjian (张广建), a pilot with over 6,000 hours of flight time on various aircraft including the Il-76. The base was re-built and re-equipped for handling the KJ-2000, the first of which reached the base in 2005. A mixed fleet of KJ-2000 and the smaller KJ-200 has been operated at the base. During 2006 a war exercise was held in north west China, during which a KJ-2000 and KJ-200 were deployed from the regiment for evaluation. Finally in 2013 a 24 hour coverage drill was held using three KJ-2000s that covered NW China, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.

Operators

 * People's Republic of China
 * People's Liberation Army Air Force - 5 were estimated in service.