BEIJING – China’s Early Warning Aircraft (AEW) is 50% more efficient than the US in terms of the use of electromagnetic resources, according to the Chinese daily Global Times, referring to a recent statement from China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
According to the media, Tang Xiaobin, chief scientist at the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), developed a theory on the use of electromagnetic resources more efficiently and put it into use by joining the Chinese aircraft design project. advance warning of China in 1999.
Electromagnetic compatibility is a constant problem in electronic warfare because the strong radiation from electronic warfare antennas can interfere with other aircraft equipment, leading to a decrease in the efficiency of electromagnetic resources.
These incompatibilities are usually detected and resolved one by one, which is time consuming and does not apply to aircraft with more complex alerting systems.
Electromagnetic environment
Thus, Tang drew a methodology to consider the electromagnetic environment as a whole and to divide the different electromagnetic energies into two categories: one that drives certain capacities, and another that hinders certain capacities.
Although the statement does not provide further details on the methodology, it asserts that it has helped Chinese early warning aircraft to have a 50% increase in the efficiency of the use of electromagnetic resources compared to the major US early warning systems.
According to Wei Dongxu, a military analyst consulted by the Global Times, AEW aircraft could face electromagnetic interference from enemy forces, and this methodology could help protect aircraft systems from such attacks without any compatibility problems.
Reliable alert aircraft
Therefore, China’s early warning aircraft are more reliable than the US and will always take full advantage of its electromagnetic capabilities while preserving its maximum detection and communication capacity, Wei said. China currently has several types of warning aircraft, including the KJ-200, the KJ-500 and the KJ-2000.