PUBLISHED on August 6, 2025, 1:09 PM EST – Key Points and Summary – China is making its older, non-stealthy fighter jets more lethal by leveraging increasingly sophisticated airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. A recent exercise where a 4th-generation J-10C “shot down” a 5th-generation J-20 was only possible because it received targeting data from these powerful “eyes in the sky.”
-This highlights a larger trend, as recent images have revealed China’s new, more capable jet-powered KJ-3000 AEW&C platform.
-This new aircraft will significantly expand the Chinese air force’s ability to detect and target threats at greater distances across the vast Indo-Pacific.
J-20 Down: Chinese Report Hints at PLAAF’s Increasingly Sophisticated Early Warning Radar
China seems to be betting it can keep its non-stealthy aircraft relevant by leveraging powerful airborne radar assets.
The Global Times, a Chinese state-run tabloid, reports that a J-10C fighter managed to simulate the shootdown of a stealthy aircraft during aerial exercises, marking a first for that platform—although it did not achieve the feat alone.
It adds that “during the confrontational exercise featuring multiple types of aircraft of the PLA Air Force, J-10C pilot Xiao Nan discovered that his aircraft could no longer detect the opposing target after he launched a missile. He requested a friendly unit to scan for the target, suspecting it might be a stealth aircraft, or his radar was jammed by the opponent, according to the CCTV report.
The Global Times reported that the simulated missile successfully located its intended target, the J-20 stealth fighter, and achieved a successful hit.
“This is the first time his unit had achieved combat results against a higher-generation warplane during an exercise, Xiao was quoted as saying in the report. He noted that without the support of the system, there would be no chance to defeat a stealth aircraft, but with the system support, the J-10C is still at its prime.”
The J-10 is one of China’s home-grown fighters, a fourth-generation, single-engine aircraft that lacks the stealth characteristics of fifth-generation aircraft like the J-20 it reportedly shot down. Though the jet was widely anticipated at this year’s Paris Air Show, the aircraft was a no-show, failing to appear at the event.
The J-10’s development in the 1980s stalled, but was jump-started after the stunning American victory in the Gulf War. Since then, many hundreds of J-10s have been built, despite the jet’s lack of stealth features, with the International Institute for Strategic Studies placing the number at around 600.
While the simulated air-to-air fight is noteworthy, perhaps the most understated part of the exercise was the employment of airborne radar assets. The article simply states that “early warning aircraft may have played a key role in providing targeting information.”
However, that sentence points to a trend in Chinese military aviation that is much more consequential than a fourth-generation airplane managing to score a hit on a stealthy, fifth-generation aircraft: China’s airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft are growing both in terms of fleet numbers and sophistication.
In fact, images of China’s newest AEW&C aircraft, the KJ-3000, appeared online earlier this year.
KJ-3000 Helped Take Out J-20 Fighter
Janes dissected images of the KJ-3000 that recently circulated online, and in particular, an “image of the aircraft parked on the ground,” which showed that the aircraft “includes an improved radar configuration and greater operational capabilities.” Janes adds that “if the platform matures, it will replace the KJ-2000 and even some production units of the Shaanxi KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft that are in service with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).”
Though the image of the KJ-3000 was partially masked by nearby foliage, the “aircraft’s radome was visible, with markings on the feature indicating that it houses two back-to-back radar arrays of a potentially new radar system,” Janes wrote.
“In contrast, the PLA’s older KJ-2000 fleet is equipped with the three-sided K/LLQF01 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. The K/LLQF01, which has 360° coverage, is a product of Chinese Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC) No 14 Research Institute.”
The KJ-2000’s radar range is reportedly around 300 miles. It is unknown what kind of radar the newer KJ-3000 flies with, though it would almost certainly possess a radar with longer range, greater detail on return, or both. The newer airplane would likely have other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets as well, though like the KJ-3000’s radar, those will likely remain a secret for the foreseeable future.
The Chinese early warning fleet is both diversifying and expanding. A Pentagon report explained that China’s early warning and control aircraft “amplify the PLAAF’s ability to detect, track, and target threats in varying conditions, in larger volumes, and at greater distances.” The document also notes that previous AEW&C planes have benefited from the addition of a refueling probe, which drastically improves each aircraft’s time on station and consequently, offers persistent air coverage.
This newer AEW&C aircraft may be able to fly higher than its predecessors, which would be a distinct asset for the PLA, given that an aircraft higher up could have a greater look-down capability and relay that information to fighters, bombers, and other aircraft, in essence expanding their field of view, potentially significantly.
What Happens Next?
Although the technical details of the KJ-3000 are highly classified, the fact remains that China is clearly enhancing its airborne early warning and control capabilities. And with the introduction of a large aircraft like the KJ-3000—importantly, a jet-powered aircraft rather than a turboprop, as are many of China’s other AEW&C aircraft—the eyes in the sky for People’s Liberation Army Air Force are more precise and sharper.
In a theatre as vast as the Indo-Pacific, a persistent AEW&C capability is a particularly sought-after capability.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
More Military
Today Marks 80 Years Since Hiroshima
