China’s first Y-20 large military transport aircraft made its first flight recently powered by Russian engines, it will be retrofitted with more powerful Chinese powerplants. The Y-20 is China’s independently-developed large and multi-purpose transport aircraft. It can carry out the task of long-distance air transport of various materials and personnel under complicated weather conditions.

Code-named “Kunpeng” and mainly developed by the Xi’an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company Ltd., the Y-20 transport aircraft has strong take-off and landing capability as evidenced by being able to take-off and land at airstrips, and can carry all types of armored vehicles of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Operated by three aircrew members, the Y-20 has the highest load-carrying capacity of 66 tonnes, a fuselage length of 47 metres, a wingspan of 45 metres and a height of 15 metres, and bears the maximum take-off weight of a little more than 200 tonnes. It has a traditional layout: tricycle landing gear and two 90-degree deflecting wheels on the nose gear.