Shubhangi Palve
In the shadow of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a quiet revolution is taking place in China’s military aviation. The world’s second-largest defense spender is rapidly modernizing its “eyes in the sky” – the crucial Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft that serve as flying command centers in modern warfare.
For the past 28 months, the world has been closely observing the Russia-Ukraine war. This conflict has witnessed the deployment of numerous weapons systems, including drones, missiles, and the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).
According to experts, Chinese strategists remain highly interested in the performance of AWACS, in addition to all other weapons systems.
In a recent development, the Chinese social media platform ‘Weibo’ buzzed with sightings of a new variant of the Kongjing-500N long-range radar detection and control aircraft. Spotted among the Northern Fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, this aircraft is rumored to be the Kunjing-700.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) images reveal that the new Kongjing-500N features a light bulb-shaped addition to the nose and a new radar system on the underside, similar to the one on China’s Yungan-9 (Shaanxi Y-9) reconnaissance plane.
This revelation follows reports from November 2022 suggesting China is developing next-generation “strategic airborne early warning” aircraft amid escalating tensions with Taiwan, the United States, and regional U.S. allies.
Initially met with skepticism by military experts, these ambitions now seem increasingly plausible. The Kunjing-700 may well be a fruit of these efforts, especially significant given U.S.-imposed obstacles in acquiring foreign radar and AWACS technologies.
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