New photographs of the Chinese Y-9GX-18 aircraft, apparently configured as a gunship, or flying artillery battery, are circulating on social media. The aircraft is based on the Chinese Y-9 military transport, which is itself a further development of the Y-8, a domestic copy of the An-12.
The first images of this aircraft in gunship configuration appeared only recently, in April of this year. Those photos were of limited resolution, and in one of them the underside of the aircraft had been blurred by Chinese censors. A somewhat clearer, unblurred photograph has now appeared, revealing additional details.
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In the new image, a structure is visible under the central fuselage that resembles a large-caliber cannon mounted in what appears to be a turret or traversing mechanism. Ahead of this turret, an electro-optical station for direct gun aiming appears to be installed.
The nose section of the aircraft also features what appears to be a radar, likely for target detection, as well as an additional electro-optical targeting station. On the roof of the Y-9GX-18, a satellite communications terminal is mounted inside a dedicated radome.
Elements at the fore and aft sections of the aircraft may form part of an onboard electronic warfare system designed to protect the aircraft by jamming radar-guided surface-to-air missiles and their associated radars.
Among the defensive systems, the aircraft may also be equipped with a DIRCM (Directed Infrared Countermeasures) system, one component of which appears to be visible in the tail section. This system detects missile launches, identifies the threat type, and blinds the incoming missile's infrared seeker with a directed laser beam.
Adjacent to what may be the DIRCM is an unidentified hatch not present on the standard version of the aircraft, which could potentially be a mount for an additional cannon or other weaponry. The wingtips appear to feature hardpoints for air-launched weapons, including guided missiles.
It should be noted, however, that all of the above remains inference based on a limited number of low-resolution images. A more definitive assessment of the Y-9GX-18's capabilities will require higher-quality photographs, which may not be long in coming, as the aircraft appears to be in a factory testing phase, indicated by its unpainted fuselage.
A gunship of this type would be of limited utility to China in strikes against ground targets during a potential conflict over Taiwan, given the density of air defense systems and fighter coverage in that environment. One plausible mission role, however, could be counter-drone operations.
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