On the Shaanxi Y-9 transport airframe, China has built and delivered to its air force medium-range early warning aircraft KJ-500 with a roof-mounted disc-shaped radar antenna. With a fleet of nearly 20 aircraft, the KJ-500 is considered one of the weapons that help the Chinese Air Force maintain air superiority.
The KJ-500 is classified as a third-generation airborne early warning and control aircraft developed by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation in the late 2000s.