KJ-500

China's most numerous modern AEW&C platform — a Y-9-based turboprop carrying a fixed three-array AESA radar for 360° coverage, in service with both the PLAAF and PLANAF and reportedly sought by Pakistan.

Overview

The Shaanxi KJ-500 is a twin-wing airborne early warning and control aircraft built on the Shaanxi Y-9 turboprop transport. It serves as the backbone of the People's Liberation Army's airborne surveillance and battle management fleet, providing the PLA Air Force and Naval Aviation with long-endurance, 360° radar coverage and fighter-direction capability. A family of variants includes the naval KJ-500H and the upgraded KJ-500A, and roughly 60 airframes are estimated operational, making it one of the most numerous AEW&C fleets in service today.

Development

The KJ-500 was developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (AVIC) to complement and ultimately succeed the earlier KJ-2000 “Mainring,” an Il-76-based system limited to only a handful of airframes. The KJ-500 entered PLA service around 2015, according to Wikipedia, and its production rate quickly outstripped all previous Chinese AEW&C programs. The choice of the Y-9 airframe—a stretched development of the Y-8—provided a mature, domestically produced platform that was easier to manufacture and sustain at scale than the Russian Il-76.

🔒 The rest of the KJ-500 file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Stop here and you miss the part that actually matters: how it performs and where it falls short, its combat record, how it stacks up head-to-head against its real counterparts, the complete specifications table, and our analysts’ procurement, supplier and assessment notes. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →