News Story: Satellite image shows Chinese deployment of new aircraft to South China Sea

KJ-500 AEW&C Aircraft

By: Mike Yeo

MELBOURNE, Australia — China has deployed its latest airborne early warning and control aircraft to an air base on the fringes of the disputed South China Sea, according to exclusive satellite imagery obtained by Defense News.

The photo taken March 24 by commercial satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe shows a pair of Shaanxi KJ-500 turboprop AEW&C aircraft with its distinctive radar dish on the ground at Jialaishi Air Base in the northern part of China’s Hainan island. Two other Y-8 aircraft — an older KJ-200 AEW&C aircraft, and the other possibly a Y-8J or Y-8X maritime patrol aircraft — can be seen alongside the KJ-500s. 

KJ-200 AEW&C Aircraft

This is the first time the KJ-500 has been deployed to Hainan, with China having previously rotationally deployed special mission aircraft detachments to the island. These detachments are drawn from two special-mission aircraft regiments of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, based in northern China. The detachments are usually made up of a mixture of KJ-200 AEW&C aircraft with Y-8Js and Y-8Xs, and they tend to operate from Lingshui on the southeastern tip of Hainan. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: Japan Scrambles Jet Fighters Amid Flight of Chinese Aircraft Over Korean Strait

Chinese H-6 Bomber

Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces were scrambled in response to Chinese Air Force aircraft flying over the Korean Strait near the islands of Tsushima and Kyushu, local media reported on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Six Xian H-6 jet bombers flew across the strait from the East China Sea in the direction of the Sea of ​​Japan, then made a U-turn and flew in the opposite direction. Shaanxi Y-8 and Shaanxi Y-9 transport aircraft were also registered in the region, NHK TV channel reported, citing the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Representatives of the ministry said that the Chinese planes did not violate Japanese airspace.

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing are intensifying after China announced the establishment of an air defense zone over the East China Sea in November 2013, which spreads to the disputed Senkaku islands.

Earlier in the month, Japanese aircraft were scrambled, when six Chinese planes were flying over the Miyako Strait near Okinawa. The two countries exchanged accusations and criticism over the incident.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: PLA Ground Force takes delivery of its first Y-9 airlifter

The first Y-9 airlifter delivered to PLA Ground Force

According to the Chinese state-owned online media army.81.cn, the People's Liberation Army Aviation received its first Y-9 medium size military transport aircraft. The aircraft was officially inducted in PLA Ground Force's inventory after it landed at an undisclosed airbase at 9:28 AM on Dec. 23, 2016.

The development of Y-9 began in 2001 to produce a C-130J-class transport to replace the older Y-8, itself based on the Soviet Antonov An-12 medium size transport aircraft. 

Read the full story at Air Recognition

News Story: Latest Chinese Airpower To Debut at Zhuhai Airshow

KJ-500 AEW&C Aircraft

by Mike Yeo

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) will be showcasing a number of new platforms at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which will be held next week at Zhuhai airbase near Guangdong. They include Chengdu J-10B multirole fighter, the Xi’an H-6K bomber and the Shaanxi KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. Airshow organizers were also touting a “secret combat aircraft” belonging to the PLAAF for the flying display, which is thought to be the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, currently in low-rate initial production (LRIP). But it was missing from the updated line-up that they published today.

A pair of LRIP J-20s sporting a new two-tone dark gray splinter camouflage have been observed carrying out maneuvers and formation flying over Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s facilities, further fueling speculation the type will make its debut at Zhuhai this year.

Meanwhile, the appearance of the J-10B confirms that the type has entered PLAAF service. The aircraft that is in Zhuhai carries tail serials for the PLAAF’s 2nd Air Division, 5th Regiment based at Guilin, Guangxi. Photos of J-10Bs in PLAAF colors have been appearing since late 2014, but with tail serials either blurred or edited out altogether, precluding identification of their unit.

Read the full story at AINonline

News Story: Thailand looks to buy new transport planes to replace ageing C-130H Hercules

Image: Flickr User - PACAF

A Royal Thai Air Force C-130 aircraft lands at Udon Thani Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, during Cope Tiger 13, March 15, 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Jake Bailey) >>

BANGKOK, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Thai Air Force is looking to procure a new fleet of transport aircraft in near future, an Air Force source said on Friday.

Competition for the planned procurement of new transport planes might probably emerge between Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation Y-9 and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

However, rivalry might as well arise from a third manufacturing country apart from China and the United States, whereas details of the procurement plan are yet to be formulated, he said.

Retiring Air Force chief Trithod Sonchaeng confirmed earlier that his service was looking to buy a new fleet of turboprop-engined transport aircraft to replace a dozen C-130H Hercules transport planes, deployed by the Thai Air Force since 1980.

His successor, newly-named Air Force chief Jom Roongsawang who is scheduled to assume the post next month, is likely to take into account such aircraft procurement plans, the source said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: China Intensely Investing in Creating Flexible and Capable Airborne Forces

Airborne forces are an important element of the Chinese military and Beijing will continue to invest in their development and upgrade their combat capabilities.

China is pursuing its global interests, including placing focus on expanding its international military presence, as part of its "active defense" doctrine.

Traditionally, Beijing used to rely on its ground forces, but over the recent years it has been heavily investing in the navy and the air force. Now, China is enhancing its airborne forces, a report by the American think-tank Stratfor read. 

According to the article, having capable airborne forces is of strategic importance for China. China is one of the largest countries in the world and has a number of remote places along its border. Moreover, China is surrounded by potential flashpoints, including at the border with India and North Korea. 

Editorial: China Showcases Military Hardware to Gulf States at 2015 Dubai Air Show

Wing Loong UCAV (File Photo)

By Benjamin David Baker

Chinese arms companies have some advantages in the regional arms trade competition, notably with their drones.

China’s global arms push continues. As my colleague Franz-Stefan Gady reported last week, China is showcasing some of its military hardware to potential buyers in the Persian Gulf at the ongoing Dubai Air Show. The jewel in China’s crown at the Air Show is the FC-31 stealth fighter, basically a replica of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter–supposedly constructed with designs stolen from Lockheed-Martin back in 2009. Another interesting piece of news from Dubai is that China and Pakistan apparently have found an unnamed buyer for their jointly developed JF-17 “Thunder” fighter.

China has several other interesting items on show in Dubai. Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation has been promoting its venerable Y-8C and its modern Y-9 (basically the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s version of a C-130 Hercules). According to Vasiliy Kachin at the Moscow Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technology, Iran has apparently ordered an undisclosed number of these aircraft. Iran has already airlifted troops to battlefields in Syria and has a requirement for more heavy transport aircraft.

But when it comes to promoting advanced defense products, China faces challenges in trying to sell to this part of the Middle East. In an interview with Defense News, Richard Bitzinger, a military transformation specialist at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says that items like fighter jets and helicopters are just too complicated, and few countries will want to “take a chance on Chinese products, when it comes to performance and quality.”

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: PLA upgrades ELINT capability with Y-9JB reconnaissance plane

The People's Liberation Army's new electronic intelligence (ELINT) gathering aircraft, the Y-9JB, is a major upgrade on its predecessors and reflects the emphasis China is placing on electronic reconnaissance capabilities, says the Beijing-based Sina Military Network.

The Y-9JB, also known as the GX-8 — which literally means the "High New 8" — is the ELINT variant of the Shaanxi Y-9 mid-sized transport aircraft. It is said to possess significant advancements over China's first-generation electronic reconnaissance planes, the Y-8DZ or GX-2 and the Y-8G or GX-3.

According to the report, China has been developing electronic warfare aircraft for decades with the aim of improving the PLA's ability to gather and analyze operational and tactical electronic intelligence, and therefore its strategic decision-making.

Read the full story at Want China Times

News Story: China's new early warning aircraft can track 60 targets

KJ-500 AEW&C Aircraft (File Photo)

China's new KJ-500 early warning aircraft, designed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, is capable of tracking about 60 aircraft within a range of 470 kilometers, according to the Washington-based Strategy Page.

With a round radar dome on the top of the fuselage, the KJ-500 looks more like a US early warning aircraft replica. It is distinguished by a smaller frame and a design based on the Y-9 four-engine turboprop aircraft.

The KJ-500 will eventually replace the People's Liberation Army Air Force's 11 KJ-200, carried by the smaller Y-8 aircraft with a long box-like radar.

Read the full story at Want China Times