The Chinese government has recently introduced KJ-500, its new early-warning aircraft, designed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, which can track about 60 flying aircraft within the radius of 470 kilometers.
According to reports, the KJ-500 looks more like a replica of the U.S. early-warning aircraft with its circular radar dome built on top of its fuselage, but the difference is that the Chinese early-warning plane has a smaller frame and its design was based on the Y-9 four-engine turboprop aircraft.
The KJ-500 was developed to replace the 11 KJ-200 of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The former was carried by the smaller aircraft Y-8 with a long box-like radar.
China supplied the Pakistan Air Force with three versions of the KJ-200 for export, known as ZDK-03, in addition to the other aircraft under its service.
The country started to develop the early-warning aircraft in the 1990s when the United States prevented Israel from selling the Phalcon to China. During that time, China bought four Russian-built A-50 early-warning aircraft, which was developed based on Il-76 cargo plane, and transformed and equippled the plane with radar system similar to the KJ-200.
According to sources, the KJ-500, first seen in early 2013, is a Y-9 four-turboprop transport combined with a fixed phased-array radar developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology (NRIET or 14th Institute).
The said aircraft has an advanced electronic system that enables its radar to attain the same capability as NRIET's fixed array for the KJ-2000 AEW&C system that is fitted to an Ilyushin Il-76 platform.
Reports said that a Chinese news show reported in Jan. 2013 that the aircraft's radar could track 60 to 100 targets simultaneously within a radius of 470 kilometers.