Recently, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force photographed a Chinese Air Force Tu-154M electronic reconnaissance aircraft flying through the Miyako Strait on a long-range patrol mission. The Tu-154M electronic reconnaissance aircraft was originally a civil aviation aircraft imported by China from the Soviet Union in 1985. In 1995, the Chinese Air Force acquired several decommissioned Tu-154M passenger planes from civil aviation, outfitting them with large synthetic aperture radar, various antennas, and electronic warfare equipment, transforming them into electronic warfare reconnaissance aircraft.
The Tu-154M has a range of over 6,000 kilometers and long endurance, making it an advanced strategic reconnaissance aircraft of its time. It is also the Chinese Air Force’s first signal intelligence reconnaissance aircraft with comprehensive electronic intelligence capabilities.
Some may wonder how these Tu-154M electronic reconnaissance aircraft have been able to continue flying smoothly for nearly 30 years while their civil aviation counterparts were retired much earlier. The Chinese Air Force has managed to keep these former civil aviation Tu-154Ms in service for three main reasons: First, they are flown relatively infrequently, with far fewer annual flight hours compared to civil aircraft. Second, military maintenance is done regardless of cost. The operational conditions for military aircraft differ significantly from those of civil aircraft, with military planes not required to fly continuously every day like passenger jets. Third, this batch of Tu-154Ms uses D-30 turbofan engines, the same as those used in the H-6K and Y-20 aircraft, making maintenance very convenient.