KJ-1 AEWC

This article will address the topic of KJ-1 AEWC, which is of great relevance today. KJ-1 AEWC has gained great importance in various areas, generating interest and debate among experts and the general public. Over the years, KJ-1 AEWC has sparked a series of investigations, theories and reflections that have enriched knowledge around this topic. Likewise, KJ-1 AEWC has generated various positions and opinions that reflect the diversity of perspectives that exist on the matter. In this article, different aspects related to KJ-1 AEWC will be analyzed, as well as its implications and repercussions in today's society.

KJ-1
KJ-1 AEWC replica at the China Aviation Museum
General information
TypeAirborne Early Warning and Control
National originPeople's Republic of China (PRC)
Statuscancelled
Number built1
History
Developed fromTupolev Tu-4

The KJ-1 (from Chinese: 空警; pinyin: Kōng Jǐng, short for 空中预警 kōngzhōng yùjǐng meaning "airborne early warning") was a Chinese experimental airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, based on a Tupolev Tu-4 bomber aircraft (itself being an unlicensed, reverse engineered copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress[1]). The project was started in 1969 under the code name "Project 926", but only one prototype was built before the project was put on hold indefinitely until it was finally cancelled in 1979.

Design and development

The KJ-1 was the first-generation AEW aircraft developed by the People's Republic of China. According to Chinese government claims, a single KJ-1 would have functions equivalent to more than 40 ground radar stations, but the test flight in the early 70s experienced severe mid-flight vibrations that could not be solved, and the development was stopped later amongst the political chaos of the Cultural Revolution.

During the Chinese economic reform, the project was once again put on hold due to cuts in military budget as economic development was given top priority. When the project was finally reviewed again in 1978 for the modernization of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, it was considered obsolete, and the project was terminated in 1979. The only KJ-1 aircraft built was dismantled after the project was scrapped, and the KJ-1 now on display at the China Aviation Museum in Beijing is actually a reconstructed replica converted using another Tu-4.[2][citation needed]

In the KJ-1's place, PRC developed a phased-array radar for its KJ-2000 AWACS aircraft, based on a modified Ilyushin Il-76 airframe.[3]

References

  1. ^ Dow, James (1997). The Arrow. James Lorimer & Company. ISBN 978-1-55028-554-3.
  2. ^ "Chinese Airborne Early Warning (AEW)." PLA-AF Airborne Early Warning & Control Programs.
  3. ^ "Chinese Airborne Early Warning (AEW)." fas.org. Retrieved: 29 December 2009.
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