Second Y-20 Prototipe now flying

China needs 400 Y-20 cargo planes for military transport

The People's Liberation Army will need at least 400 Y-20 cargo planes produced by the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation in order to catch up with the force projection capabilities of the United States, Russia and India, according to a report published by the National Defense University of China cited in the party-run People's Daily.
The report said that the three-dimensional transportation network in China consisting of air, ground and maritime vehicles will play an important role in improve the force projection capability of the Chinese military. During an exercise in 2009, passenger and cargo planes from civilian airlines were mobilized to transfer 50,000 officers from China's four different military regions to participate in the exercise along with military aircraft and ground transporation.
Bohai Sea Green Pearl, a 36,000-tonne ferry vessel launched in Aug. 2012, can also be modified into China's largest amphibious augmentation platform when the PLA Navy needs.
Various weaknesses regarding China's force projection capabilities were laid out in the report as well. First, China does not have enough large ferry vessels like the Bohai Sea Green Pearl to launch a large-scale amphibious invasion. Second, China does not have enough large military cargo planes such as the Y-20.
Currently, the United States Air Force has 700 large transports used for strategic airlift. The Russian Air Force has 800 medium transports while the Indian Air Force has 200. As the report said, the PLA Air Force needs at least 400 Y-20 cargo aircraft to transport 10 regiments of soldiers to conduct military operations in different battlefronts along the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, some air force bases in China are still unable to accomodate large cargo planes like the Il-76.
wantchinatimes

Flight tests of Xian Y-20 proceeding well

Flight tests of China’s Xian Y-20 transport aircraft are proceeding well according the web site of China’s defence ministry.
All goals have been achieved, specifically in areas such altitude and speed. One area of particular focus appears to be stability during flight.
Following its first flight in January 2013, there has been little official commentary about the Y-20. This contrasts with other high profile Chinese defence programmes, such as the routine flight testing aboard Beijing’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
The performance of Y-20 is very high, and it can adapt to relatively hard conditions and can land at small airports in mountain areas. In its design, the adverse weather conditions of frigid zone, high heat area and plateau as well as the runway situation are fully considered.
Some sources,however, questions the Y-20’s ability to land on rough fields. Its two main landing gear bogies have six wheels each, the wheels are arranged in a two-two-two pattern from front-to back.
Among other large jet transports, the Boeing C-17, which was designed with rough-field capability in mind, has two six-wheel main bogies, but in a three-three configuration. Russia’s Ilyushin Il-76 has two eight-wheel main bogies, in a four-four configuration.
flightglobal

China sees export potential for Y-20

China sees an opportunity to export the Xian Y-20 strategic transport, with a number of variants planned.
The remarks about the aircraft's overseas potential were reportedly made by Tang Jun, chairman of Xian Aircraft, which has produced a prototype of China's largest indigenously produced airlifter to date.
The report also quotes "aviation industry insiders" as saying that the Y-20 will be operational in China by 2017, and that the programme had its genesis in the 1990s.
Tang, however, gave no indication of the overall number of Y-20s that Beijing hopes to obtain.
The Y-20 conducted its first flight in late January from China's Yanlian airbase. The flight was covered extensively by the Chinese media.
After images of the four-engined airlifter appeared on Chinese defence websites in late 2012, Beijing confirmed the programme's existence in early January 2013.
The Y-20 is smaller than the Boeing C-17, but larger than the Ilyushin Il-76. Although Beijing has made great strides in developing its fighter fleet in recent years, the People's Liberation Army air force has a number of capability gaps, including strategic transport.

flightglobal

Y-20 gets paint job

alert5

Y-20 first flight commemorative stamps and souvenirs

High resolution view of Y-20

First flight of Y-20 large transport aircraft. Large resolution photo

China’s new airlifter took off for it’s maiden flight at 1400 hrs from Yanliang flight test center in Xi’an on Jan. 26.

IN FOCUS: China’s new strategic airlifter

Few aircraft are as intriguing - and vexing - as the prototypes that periodically appear at Chinese airfields. The most recent example to have set China' blogosphere abuzz is the Xian Y-20 strategic airlifter, a type that could one day enhance Beijing's ability to project power as far abroad as the Indian Ocean and even Africa.

The first appearance of the four-engined heavy lifter - China's largest indigenous aircraft to date - occurred on Chinese defence websites in the last week of 2012. Apparently taken from the cover of a copse of grass, the grainy images were reminiscent of those that revealed the Chengdu J-20 fighter during the last week of 2010.

With remarkable alacrity, Beijing confirmed the existence of the new aircraft on 2 January. "We are developing large transport aircraft on our own to improve the capability of air transport," China's defence ministry said. It gave no indication as to when the aircraft could be deployed, but confirmed that "research and development is going forward as planned".



GREG WALDRON-flightglobal

Satellites Spot China’s Mysterious New Warplane Y20-Yanliang

A week after blurry photographs of what appears to be China's first long-range jet transport emerged on the web, Danger Room has obtained satellite imagery of the new plane, the Y20-Yanliang, at an airfield in central China.

dangerroom

Y-20 Transport Emerges

It was hardly on the level of the J-20's appearance two years ago, but the advent of the Xian J-20 transport over the Christmas holidays was nonetheless important.

If nothing else, it's the third all-new Chinese military aircraft to emerge in two years, a pace of innovation unknown since the Cold War.

It is also by far the largest indigenously developed Chinese aircraft.

nosint
aviationweek