Chinese surveillance plane test flight hints at advanced aircraft carrier design

The KJ-600 is under development at the same time as the new vessel

But the fixed-wing plane needs help from a catapult to launch from a carrier deck, suggesting ski jumps may be a thing of the past

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The KJ-600 would have a much larger payload for better devices and have a longer range than a helicopter. Photo: Weibo

Published: 8:30pm, 23 Feb 2021Updated: 8:33pm, 23 Feb 2021

There are stronger signs that China’s next aircraft carrier will be fitted with an advanced type of aircraft launch system, with official confirmation of a test flight of a carrier-based early warning plane.

State broadcaster CCTV confirmed in a report on the weekend that the KJ-600, the country’s first domestically developed fixed-wing early warning aircraft, had a test flight in Xian, Shaanxi province, in late January.

The KJ-600 is designed to operate from an aircraft carrier but its weight and turboprop engines make it less powerful than a jet, requiring help from a catapult for take-off.

China has two aircraft carriers on the water, the Liaoning and the Shandong, but both have ski jump decks for take-off.

A third aircraft carrier is under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. There has been no official confirmation about the design, but open-source satellite images over the shipyard indicate the vessel will be much bigger than its predecessors.

The KJ-600 is being developed at the same as the new carrier, and a catapult system would signal a big advance in China’s aircraft launch technology.

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