are numbered sequentially from GX-1
to GX-12, they were not revealed in
sequential order.Chinese ASW
Especially for PLA Naval Aviation, the
most eagerly awaited special mission
variant is the Y-8Q/KQ-200 ASW
aircraft. The type is also known as the
Y-8GX-6 and is reported to have been
under development since 2007 using
the proven Y-8F-600, which features
a pressurized cabin, uprated WJ-6C
turboprops tted with JL-4 six-blade
propellers and small vertical stabilizers
on the horizontal tailplanes. It has a
prominent bulbous radome housing a
surface search radar and most notably a
distinctive magnetic anomaly detector
(MAD) tail boom. Under the forward
fuselage is an additional electro-optical
turret housing a forward-looking
infra-red, CCD TV camera and laser
range- nder, while there are several
radar warning receiver and missile
approach warning sensors as well as
numerous blade antennas, and two
large observation windows are situated
in the rear fuselage.
The most important addition is an
internal weapons bay in front of the
main landing gear. It can carry depth
charges and up to eight Yu-7 or newYu-11K light torpedoes. The aircraft may
also be armed with up to four YJ-83K or
YJ-9 anti-ship missiles under the wings.
On the rear fuselage, aft of the internal
weapons bay, the KQ-200 shows four
launch tubes for dropping sonobuoys.
As a dedicated long-range ASW aircraft
it is said to have a range of up to
5,000km and a patrol endurance of up to
10 hours. The KQ-200 allegedly features
a secure datalink to enable long-range
communications and extended reach.
Two prototypes were built. They were
rst seen in November 2011 at the
CFTE ight test establishment at Xi’an
Yanliang carrying serials 731 and 732.
Operational testing began in late 2013
and a rst serial production aircraft was
seen in February 2015. Finally, it was
con rmed in April 2015 that the initial
two aircraft had entered service with
Southern Theater Command based at
Lingshui in Hainan. As many as eight
additional examples had entered service
by early 2018 and production continues.
Interestingly, they are operated
alongside a similar number of KJ-500H
AEW aircraft from the same base as
well as the Y-8GX-8 EW variant. These
types have been noted at several other
bases within Northern and Eastern
Theater Commands, probably for
familiarization purposes.E
LECTRONIC WARFARE EW and
special mission aircraft may
not be as sleek and exciting
as ghters, but when it comes
to real operations their role
cannot be underestimated.
Away from the public gaze, China is
constantly expanding its capabilities in
this area.
Following a few early variants of
dedicated Y-8 special mission aircraft,
the Y-8 evolved within the People’s
Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)
and PLA Naval Aviation as a mainstay
for special roles in the same vein
as the C-130 Hercules or C-135 did
for the US military. Their missions
currently range from EW to electronic
intelligence (ELINT), from signals
intelligence (SIGINT) to o ensive
electronic countermeasures (ECM),
and from airborne early warning (AEW)
and psychological operations to anti-
submarine warfare (ASW).
All of these types were initiated
under the so-called ‘Gao Xin’ (High
New) project. Understandably, only
scant information is available about the
history of individual versions or even
their speci c mission equipment. In
most cases, little was known about any
such projects until a new Y-8GX version
was rst seen. Although the versionsBelow:
A fabulous shot
of a 9th Naval
Air Division
KJ-500H, serial- Images
via Chinese
internet
Below right
top to bottom:
A close-up view
of the Y-8GX-6’s
bulbous radome,
which houses a
surface search
radar.
This is a
Y-8GX-6, which
is thought to
have entered
service in 2015.
http://www.combataircraft.net // October 2018 27