The KQ-200 (also known as Y-8Q or GX-6 or High New 6) MPA is based on the Y-8 Category III Platform featuring WJ-6C turboprops with 6-blade each. The Y-8 is a medium transport aircraft produced by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (SAC), itself based on the Soviet An-12. Y-8 Category III is the base platform for most Chinese special mission aircraft.
The KQ-200 is designed to equip the PLAN Air Force (naval aviation force) of the North Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet.
The first two prototypes were first seen at the SAC factory airfield in November 2011. The mass production is believed to have begun in 2015. According to our colleagues from East Pendulum, a new final assembly line was opened in December 2016, the answer the high demand for the platform.
The aircraft has a range of approximately 5,000 km and a patrol endurance of about 10 hours.
The KQ-200 is equipped with a surface search radar (under the nose), an electro-optic payload under the fuselage and a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) at its tail.
It is fitted with four openings to deploy sonobuoys (SQ-4 and SQ-5 by AVIC), and a cargo bay that can carry anti-submarine grenades and torpedoes. Rumors mention the ability to carry four YJ-83K anti-ship missiles under the KQ-200 wings, but this has yet to be confirmed.
The CCTV report is a first, and shows for the first time the interior of the KQ-200, fitted with at least 3 + 6 + 2 modern operator consoles.
