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| The Hidden Capabilities of China Air Force Y-8Q Aircraft |
International Military - Y-8Q or known as one of the maritime reconnaissance aircraft is often called. Especially in the Taiwan Strait news which often mentions the Y-8Q aircraft crossing the Taiwan ADIZ on several occasions.
Quoted from taiwannews.com.tw, the Y 8Q plane crossed Taiwan's ADIZ area and made the country's F-16 intercept it. And in the role of the Y 8Q aircraft, it is also more superior in various ways in carrying out missions, especially maritime missions.
Quoted from navalnews.com on 29 April 2019, the Y-8Q aircraft is based on the Y-8 Aircraft Platform and this is what makes it so superior
It is evident that the Y-8Q aircraft feature highly qualified engines. It was explained that the quality engine of the Y-8Q aircraft was the WJ-6C turboprop. From this quality engine, the Y 8Q aircraft is very reliable in several missions in several areas to complement the defense of the Chinese Air Force.
Not only equipping it, but Y-8Q aircraft were also deployed to the northern navy and southern navy. That means that this aircraft is serving in the South China Sea as a support fleet.
The first 2 prototypes of the Y-8Q aircraft were first seen at the SAC factory airfield in November 2011. Finally, mass production of the Y-8Q aircraft is believed to have started in 2015. According to his explanation, this aircraft was already in service in December 2016. this aircraft is still actively serving as a very reliable aircraft
There is information that the Y-8Q aircraft have a range of about 5,000 km. And the endurance of this patrol aircraft is about 10 hours. This quality makes the Y-8Q one of the most advanced anti-submarine aircraft in the East Asia region.
Moreover, there is an explanation about some of the technologies found on the Y-8Q aircraft. he is equipped with a surface search radar under the nose. As well as electro-optical payloads under the Y-8Q MPA fuselage. And the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) in the tail of the Y-8Q makes the aircraft an expert in anti-submarine missions.
Hence the Y-8Q aircraft are equipped with 4 points for deploying sonobuoys (SQ-4 and SQ-5). And cargo space that can carry torpedo-type anti-submarine weapons is on the Y-8Q.
There are rumors of the ability to carry 4 YJ-83K anti-ship missiles under the wings of the Y-8Q aircraft. But it has not been confirmed whether it is true that this aircraft can carry anti-ship missiles. And if it is true that this aircraft is capable of carrying anti-ship missiles, its attack power can be deadly.
According to reports, the interior of the Y-8Q aircraft is equipped with at least 3+6+2 modern operator consoles. That means the crew on the Y-8Q aircraft can reach 11 people and 2 pilots.
In addition, the Y 8Q aircraft is known to be able to serve well in various weather conditions. So do not be surprised if the Y 8Q aircraft can serve on night or day missions.
These advantages make the Y 8Q aircraft one of the most reliable defense equipment in various missions. One of them is the SAR mission that the Y 8Q aircraft is able to carry out properly.
Not only SAR, but intelligence reconnaissance missions can be carried out by the Y 8Q aircraft for information gathering. Especially maritime-based intelligence reconnaissance missions can be carried out by the Y 8Q aircraft well.
Informed from naval-technology.com, the Y 8Q MPA has a maximum speed of up to 662 km/h. With this maximum speed, the Y 8Q MPA can fly up to a height of 10.4 km. The maximum take-off weight of the Y 8Q MPA is 61,000 kg and makes it superior in operation. Therefore, Indonesia must be wary of the presence of the Y 8Q MPA as an MPA aircraft.
Due to the presence of the Y 8Q MPA in the South China Sea, they can find out some important information about the military power (Navy warships) of countries in the region. Especially in the North Natuna Sea which is adjacent to the South China Sea area which is the Y 8Q MPA patrol radius. Therefore, if the North Natuna Sea area can be spied on by the Chinese military's Y 8Q MPA aircraft.
Not only North Natuna, but Y 8Q MPA has approached Taiwan as informed by globaltimes.cn on December 6, 2020. It is proven that the tracking power and visual highlighting of the Y 8Q MPA can identify several types of warships in the area. To the extent that there are claims that several types of submarines can be detected by the Y 8Q MPA role.
Therefore, the role of the Y 8Q MPA is very high quality and quite lethal for detection and maritime missions. And it's no wonder that the Y 8Q aircraft is one of the defense equipment that should be watched out for because it is dangerous.