American military correspondent David Axe has new photographic evidence suggesting that the Chinese now have their first long-range, jet transport aircraft to marvel the American Air Force C-17 Globemaster. In his blog post
Satellites Spot China's Mysterious New Warplane, Beijing has confirmed the existence on the Xian Aircraft Corporation's Y-20, but Western experts contend that the aircraft lacks the performance capabilities of much older American, Russian and European transports.
The Chinese hope is that the Y-20 will be able to replace older main transports like the Y-8 medium airlift and the tanker version of the H-6 bomber. In terms of military reach and airlift capabilities, the Chinese have been far behind the U.S. and other advanced nations. The Chinese believe that the Y-20 will bring its airlift capabilities to par with the rest of the world and greatly enhance the logistical network of its military. However, before the Chinese can reach that point, American analysts suggest that the engine capabilities in the new Y-20 are severely lacking. New evidence suggests that the Y-20 prototypes have been fitted with old, Russian made D-30 engines that may not be adequate for the size of the aircraft.
Imagery shows the Y-20 as slightly smaller than the United States' C-17, but with the same wide swept wing and T-shaped tail. However, the C-17 aircraft requires a large, high-bypass turbofan that the Chinese are currently lacking. The engine capabilities of the Chinese Y-20 can only be built by four companies in the world today, three of which are western and one is Russian.
Pending a deal with Russian manufacturers to import the engine and install them in the Y-20 prototypes, it appears this is this just a prototype. However, if the Chinese are able to integrate the Y-20 into its military airlift command, it would see an astonishing increase in airlift capabilities. Assuming the Y-20 is able to rival the airlift capabilities of the C-17, that would give it a payload capability of approximately 160,000lbs and a range of 2,400 nautical miles.
Compared to the medium airlift capabilities of the Y-8 (44,000lbs and 3,030 nautical miles), this would be a tremendous improvement in airlift capability.
Moving forward, we have seen other recent innovations in Chinese military air capabilities. In his recent blog post
Is This China's First Killer Drone on Danger Room, he suggests that new imagery is proof that Beijing now has its first jet-powered, armed drone warplane. While militaries around the world are skeptical, Chinese aerospace firms claim that the vehicle depicted in the images is in fact the
Lijian or "Sharp Sword," an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. This proves, if nothing else, that the Chinese are thoroughly invested in expanding the capabilities of their military.
The Chinese hope is that the Y-20 will be able to replace older main transports like the Y-8 medium airlift and the tanker version of the H-6 bomber. In terms of military reach and airlift capabilities, the Chinese have been far behind the U.S. and other advanced nations. The Chinese believe that the Y-20 will bring its airlift capabilities to par with the rest of the world and greatly enhance the logistical network of its military. However, before the Chinese can reach that point, American analysts suggest that the engine capabilities in the new Y-20 are severely lacking. New evidence suggests that the Y-20 prototypes have been fitted with old, Russian made D-30 engines that may not be adequate for the size of the aircraft.
Imagery shows the Y-20 as slightly smaller than the United States' C-17, but with the same wide swept wing and T-shaped tail. However, the C-17 aircraft requires a large, high-bypass turbofan that the Chinese are currently lacking. The engine capabilities of the Chinese Y-20 can only be built by four companies in the world today, three of which are western and one is Russian.
Pending a deal with Russian manufacturers to import the engine and install them in the Y-20 prototypes, it appears this is this just a prototype. However, if the Chinese are able to integrate the Y-20 into its military airlift command, it would see an astonishing increase in airlift capabilities. Assuming the Y-20 is able to rival the airlift capabilities of the C-17, that would give it a payload capability of approximately 160,000lbs and a range of 2,400 nautical miles.
Compared to the medium airlift capabilities of the Y-8 (44,000lbs and 3,030 nautical miles), this would be a tremendous improvement in airlift capability.
Moving forward, we have seen other recent innovations in Chinese military air capabilities. In his recent blog post Is This China's First Killer Drone on Danger Room, he suggests that new imagery is proof that Beijing now has its first jet-powered, armed drone warplane. While militaries around the world are skeptical, Chinese aerospace firms claim that the vehicle depicted in the images is in fact the Lijian or "Sharp Sword," an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. This proves, if nothing else, that the Chinese are thoroughly invested in expanding the capabilities of their military.
This is very interesting because even if China was able to increase its airlift capacity it's still very doubtful that they would have anything real to use it for because the PLA is not expeditionary. It is, however, trying desperately to increase its strength and global reach and apparently has chosen airpower as a priority. It will be very interesting to see what it does with these new capabilities.
ReplyDeleteWhile many news articles discuss China's enhancements of its offensive and defensive capabilities - i.e. anti-ship missiles and stealth fighters - this is interesting to see the logistical enhancements undertaken by China. However, as you point out, this aircraft still has its limitations and seems to be years from completion. Regardless, such attempts to modernize its military force should not come across as alarming or surprising.
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