China's Shaanxi Y-9LG special mission aircraft has antennas associated with radar, electronic intelligence (ELINT), and electronic support measures (ESM) systems. The aircraft's configuration suggests that it has a stand-off jamming capability. (Janes)
A new Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) special mission aircraft that appeared at a recently concluded Sino-Thai military exercise has been identified as the Shaanxi Y-9LG. The aircraft has potential long-range electronic warfare (EW) application.
The Y-9LG was part of a contingent of PLA aircraft that participated in ‘Falcon Strike 2024', a 19-day joint air force training exercise hosted by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) at its Udon Thani Air Force Base, according to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The Y-9LG, whose designation was detailed in an RTAF press release on the exercise, has external antenna configurations that are indicative of a long-range jamming capability. The Y-9LG resembles a special mission platform based on the Shaanxi Y-8/Y-9 aircraft that circulated on Chinese social media in January 2023. At the time, Chinese military observers tentatively designated the aircraft the KJ-200B. However, the new Y-9LG contains features not seen on the earlier KJ-200B.
Key features
The aircraft's features include a new dorsal electronic support measures/direction-finding (ESM/DF) antenna, which has also been observed in other new PLA EW aircraft such as the Y-9G (GX-11) and the Y-9Z communications countermeasure aircraft. In addition, the Y-9LG's balance beam-type antenna, which is potentially for an active electronically scanned array (AESA), is visually different from the radar antenna on the KJ-200B.
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