A new version of the Kongjing-500N long-range radar detection and control aircraft has appeared on Weibo in units of the Northern Fleet of the PLA Navy. Rumor has it that its new designation is Kunjing-700. From the changes with the previous version (in the third photo), you can see that in the nose of the aircraft a bulb and a new radar appeared at the bottom, similar to the one found on the Yungan-9 reconnaissance aircraft of the PLA Navy. At the rear of the fuselage on the sides there are also two stations similar to those on the Yun-9G electronic warfare aircraft.
In our opinion, China is modernizing its AWACS based on knowledge learned from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, where AWACS aircraft play an important role in guiding fighter aircraft to enemy targets and highlighting the overall air situation in the combat zone. An example of this is the Russian A-50 .
Beijing is well aware that the Avax is the eyes/ears for tactical aviation and an important link in modern air operations, so improving the aircraft’s hardware is a necessary attribute to make it as invulnerable to enemy strikes as possible. If this is so, then China will end up with an AWACS aircraft that performs several functions at once: conducting aerial reconnaissance, setting up electronic jamming, monitoring the air and sea situation, and guiding combat aircraft.
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