Recent satellite imagery indicates that four KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning aircraft are located at Xi'an Aircraft Company. This suggests that serial production of the aircraft may soon commence, enhancing China's AEW&C capabilities. The KJ-3000 is based on the Y-20B transport aircraft, aiming to address existing limitations in China’s AEW&C fleet. In comparison, India's airborne early warning capability remains limited with fewer aircraft currently in service.
New satellite imagery shows four of China's KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft at the Xi'an Aircraft Company factory at Xi'an-Yanliang, raising the possibility that the type is moving into serial production. The imagery, captured on October 5 and provided by Vantor, shows three KJ-3000s near the factory and a fourth at the nearby China Flight Test Establishment, US based think tank Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies assesses that four aircraft point to serial production.The KJ-3000, also called the KJ-20, is based on the four-engine Y-20B transport with Chinese-made engines. It has a large circular radome above the rear fuselage and an aerial refuelling probe above the cockpit. The first poor-quality photographs appeared in December 2024, and clearer images followed in May 2025. It is meant to address limits in China's existing large AEW&C fleet, since only four KJ-2000 aircraft, built on the Russian Il-76MD, have been completed. The Pentagon's 2025 report on China's military noted the KJ-3000's initial flight.The Chinese armed forces currently operate over around 70 AEW&C aircraft split between the air force and the navy.
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