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Naval
Forces News - China |
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Chinese
Navy New Y-8FQ Cub/GX-6 Maritime Patrol Aircraft Operational with PLAN
North Sea Fleet |
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A
new picture recently surfaced from China showing the People's Liberation
Army Navy (PLAN) added a second Y-8FQ aircraft to conduct flight test
and eventually qualify the new type of Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).
The Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) variant of Y-8, the Y-8FQ Cub (also
known as GX-6 for High New 6) first surfaced on the Chinese internet
in November 2011 as
we reported at the time. |
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 PLAN Naval Aviation Y-8FQ Cub/High New 6 (GX-6) Maritime Patrol Aircraft painted grey, showing it has entered operational service with the North Sea fleet. |
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The
first Y-8FQ MPA are reportedly operated by 2nd Naval Aviation Division
6th Regiment based in Dalian, close to North Korea, South Korea and
Japan. PLAN's East Sea fleet and South Sea fleet will likely receive
this MPA at a later date. The GX-6 range is estimated at approximately 5000 kilometers depending on its mission load. |
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 PLAN Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Y-8FQ Cub/High New 6 (GX-6) number 732 during a test flight in August or September 2014. |
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The
Y-8FQ is based on the Y-8 Transport aircraft by Shaanxi Aircraft Company,
equipped with four WJ-6C turbofan engines with 6-bladed propellers.
The tail of the plane has been modified to improve handling at low speed
and low altitude as request by MPAs mission profiles, when on ASW missions.
On such mission the MPA would use its MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector)
boom to detect submarines. This boom is clearly noticeable at the tail
of the Y-8FQ. |
 PLAN Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Y-8FQ Cub/High New 6 (GX-6) number 731 during a test flight in December 2013. |
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From
the picture above, we can note that the Y-8FQ is fitted with a chin radome
housing some kind of maritime surveillance or surface search radar. It
is also fitted with an Electro Optic/Infra-Red turret and several antennas
both at the top and at the bottom of the fuselage. Finally, note the weapon
bay doors just in front of the main landing gear, as well as the large
bulbous window at the rear for visual observation. All in all this new Y-8FQ Cub/High New 6 Maritime Patrol Aircraft has all the attributes of a capable MPA like the P-3 Orion, Atlantique II or IL-38. |
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