American defence producer L3Harris Applied sciences has reportedly pitched its new Phoenix airborne early warning and management (AEW&C) system to the Republic of China Air Drive, with the plane having been exhibited on the 2025 Taipei Air & House Present. The plane is intently associated to the G.550 Nachshon Oron, which at the moment serves within the Israeli Air Drive, and which unconfirmed stories point out performed a important function in supporting the nation’s air assault towards Iran in June. The plane’s sensors and radar programs had been collectively developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and ELTA, with L3Harris answerable for integrating them onto Gulfstream 550 airframe. The Phoenix AEW&C can be outfitted with IAI’s EL/W-2085 energetic digital scanning array radar and a gallium nitride transceiver. Such a sale would come at a time of quick enhancing safety ties between the Republic of China based mostly in Taipei, and Israel.
The Republic of China is at the moment in a state of civil conflict with the Individuals’s Republic of China authorities based mostly on the mainland, and though missing worldwide recognition, has been capable of procure armaments from a small variety of Western nations. Its air pressure at the moment operates a small fleet of E-2K AEW&Cs that’s thought of more and more old-fashioned, and is much much less refined than both the U.S. Navy’s E-2D fleet, or than the mainland’s KJ-500, KJ-600 and KJ-3000 programs. The older plane procured within the 2000s lacks the E-2D’s superior phased array radar system, which supplies a excessive diploma of situational consciousness and improved detection capabilities towards stealth plane. That is notably important because the Chinese language mainland has quickly expanded its fleet of stealth fighters, together with bringing the J-35 and new J-20 into service, whereas additionally working to introduce the world’s first sixth technology fighters into service across the yr 2030.
The Phoenix is a number one competitor to the E-2D for future orders, though its use of jet somewhat than turboprop engines, and its extra restricted brief airfields efficiency, stay main shortcomings. Israel could also be extra prepared to promote a complicated avionics suite for the Phoenix than the USA is for the E-2D, because of the excessive danger that applied sciences offered to the Republic of China Armed Forces are leaked to the Chinese language mainland. Just like the E-2, the Phoenix AEW&C is anticipated to face a lot higher limitations because of the comparatively small dimension of its sensor suite in comparison with medium finish AEW&Cs such because the KJ-500 and E-7, and excessive finish platforms such because the KJ-3000, which deploy radars a number of occasions as massive. AEW&Cs within the Republic of China Air Drive are anticipated to be extremely susceptible in wartime as a result of a mix of the service’s very restricted operational depth, and the mainland’s big range of lengthy vary missile lessons such because the PL-XX and 40N6 which might be nicely suited to neutralising such massive unmanoeuvrable targets at excessive ranges.
