China To Upgrade PLA Mobility With Y-20, Y-30 Transport Aircrafts

China’s Y-20 military transport aircraft recently completed its first flight performance at the recently concluded 10th Zhuhai Airshow 2014, Global Times daily reported today.

China is focusing on upgrading the mobility of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and has developed the transport aircraft, the newspaper reported.

The Y-20 is comparable to Russia's Il-76 multi-purpose four-engine strategic airlifter designed by the Ilyushin design bureau and America's C-17 Globemaster III developed by Boeing.

China also showcased conceptual model of the mid-sized military airlifter, Y-30 at the airshow. The aircraft has four powerful turboprop engines and wider cargo space. The aircraft uses composite materials and will replace the Y-8, Chinese version of the Russian An-12 after it is inducted in service.

The developments demonstrate that the Chinese military is paying special attention to the mobility of the PLA through the development of simpler and cheaper large transport aircraft that can also be stored at smaller airports.