First serial Y-20 military transport aircraft was handed over to the PLAAF
Posted on
The first serial Y-20 military transport aircraft (seriall number 11051) developed by Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation was handed over to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in a ceremony. Second aircraft serialled 11052 to follow soon – it is assigned to the 12th Regiment of the 4th Transport Division at Qionglai, Chengdu.
The Y-20 has an empty weight of 110 short tons, making it the largest military aircraft currently in production—larger than Russia’s Ilyushin Il-76. Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III is bigger than the Y-20—the C-17’s empty weight is about 60,000 pounds more than the Y-20 and its payload capacity is 25,000 pounds more—but production stopped in 2015, making the Y-20 the biggest that is currently rolling out of factories.
The Y-20 relies on four Russian-made Soloviev D-30 turbofan engines. With a payload of 73 short tons, the aircraft can carry heavy military hardware, including the ZTZ99, China’s largest tank.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Promotions, new products and sales. Directly to your inbox.