What do new sixth-generation warplanes, the world’s largest amphibious landers, and a brand-new early warning and control aircraft all have in common? Well, for starters, they’re all Chinese. And they were all part of Beijing’s newest media blitz meant to scare the already twitchy minds of uncertain Western defense analysts.

More importantly, the capabilities demonstrated by China indicate that Beijing is preparing to drop the mother of all hammers (and sickles) on its U.S.-backed neighbors, such as those who live just 100 miles away in the democratic nation of Taiwan. 

The sixth-generation plane is a distraction, though. The Type 076 amphibious lander is more important to this discussion. What’s more, the KJ-3000 early warning and control aircraft is extremely relevant to any potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. And, just like the other two systems mentioned here, the KJ-3000 seems to be another leveling-up moment for a People’s Republic of China that is increasingly keen on permanently settling the Taiwan question.

Understanding the Bird

An electronic surveillance plane, the KJ-3000 is designed to provide important intelligence-collection, electronic warfare (EW), and situational awareness for any large Chinese force making the perilous journey across the Taiwan Strait on its way to invading Taiwan. Very few details have been shared by China about the KJ-3000. What can be deduced based solely on the (rather blurry) photographs of the plane is that it has a large rotodome and its tail is bulging. 

This bird is meant to dominate the skies over the Taiwan Strait—all while keeping an eye out for American, Japanese, or other allied forces looking to complicate China’s likely run on neighboring Taiwan. Yes, the United States and many other modern militaries have planes like this. However, those birds are not as big as the KJ-3000. 

With the aforementioned rotodome, the KJ-3000 is granted a bird’s eye view of any battlefield. Nothing will sneak beyond its detection systems. Inside that rotating device are a bevy of radar systems, notably an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, all moving together in tandem to render visible any enemy that wishes to remain invisible. 

The radar system itself will be a real problem for the Americans. It’s believed that the radar detection range on the KJ-3000 is between 372 miles and 621 miles. Oh, and it can supposedly pick up U.S. stealth warplanes, such as the F-22 and F-35—and it tracks up to 100 targets at once. In terms of the payload, the KJ-3000 carries a whopping 66 tons and is powered by WS-20 jet engines, a significant upgrade from the older KJ-2000 early warning planes.

Upon further examination, it appears that China’s KJ-3000 is designed to serve as a hub for network-centric warfare.

This Plane is Meant to Defeat Taiwan’s Defenders

That bulge in the back, you see, looks to be the key element for an airborne command center. So, when Chinese forces are operating jointly, this bird will be the lynchpin coordinating everything together electronically—all the while looking out for incoming enemy attacks.

Make no mistake: China is building the capacity to invade Taiwan and threaten the Americans and their allies. The KJ-3000 plays an integral role in that. And the Americans, as always, are poorly prepared for this challenge.

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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