KJ-2000 INFLIGHT
The above image depicts a Chinese KJ-2000 inflight over Nanjing-Dajiaochang airfield in 2005. This location was provided by IMINT & Analysis reader ChristianNL, and yet again highlights a benefit of having access to Google Earth 5's historical imagery archive. The imagery displayed by default is dated more than two years after the date when the above image was captured. Without access to the historical imagery archive, the KJ-2000 may not have been located. The ghosting in the image is an artifact of the imaging process commonly found when fast-moving objects are imaged by satellite.
The KJ-2000 is an Il-76 airframe modified in China to serve as an AEW&C platform. The facility located off of the northeastern end of the runway at Nanjing-Dajiaochang was employed by the PLAAF for development of the KJ-2000, with examples also seen at Dingxin for range testing before entering operational service in the Nanjing Military Region at Wuxi-Shuofang with the 76th Air Regiment of the 26th Air Division.
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION
Feel free to discuss the current Image of the Week at the IMINT & Analysis Forum Image of the Week discussion thread found here.
SOURCES
-Overhead imagery provided courtesy of Google Earth
The above image depicts a Chinese KJ-2000 inflight over Nanjing-Dajiaochang airfield in 2005. This location was provided by IMINT & Analysis reader ChristianNL, and yet again highlights a benefit of having access to Google Earth 5's historical imagery archive. The imagery displayed by default is dated more than two years after the date when the above image was captured. Without access to the historical imagery archive, the KJ-2000 may not have been located. The ghosting in the image is an artifact of the imaging process commonly found when fast-moving objects are imaged by satellite.The KJ-2000 is an Il-76 airframe modified in China to serve as an AEW&C platform. The facility located off of the northeastern end of the runway at Nanjing-Dajiaochang was employed by the PLAAF for development of the KJ-2000, with examples also seen at Dingxin for range testing before entering operational service in the Nanjing Military Region at Wuxi-Shuofang with the 76th Air Regiment of the 26th Air Division.
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION
Feel free to discuss the current Image of the Week at the IMINT & Analysis Forum Image of the Week discussion thread found here.
SOURCES
-Overhead imagery provided courtesy of Google Earth
3 comments:
Sean,
You are an awesome imagery analyst. Either that or you know some really awesome imagery analysts. Sadly, you have misread this image. What you are seeing is the famous airman's halo. The sun's rays wrap around the plane and shine in the ground like a halo. by calculating the location of the sun time and angle on this date/time you will find the sun at the angle behind the aircraft so as to cast this halo/shadow on the ground. Most every pilot has seen his planes own halo.
Yeah you're right, I was out to lunch mentally confusing it with something else.
Yeah. Ghosting should generally be found behind the fast moving object.
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