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| A test flight of a Y-20 cargo plane. (Internet photo) |
The Y-20, China's first domestically designed medium transport aircraft developed by Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, is likely to enter service with the People's Liberation Army in the next two years, People's Daily reported on Oct. 16.
The Communist Party mouthpiece said the Y-20 will be shown to the public for the first time at the Zhuhai Airshow in Guangdong province next month. The plane makes China the fourth nation in the world with the ability to develop 200-ton transport aircraft after the United States, Russia and Ukraine, the paper said.
The Y-20 is a landmark in Chinese aviation history as the aircraft is a brand new design, the report said, since unlike older transport aircraft such as the Y-7 and Y-8, which were based on Russian models, the Y-20 is an entirely Chinese design. People's Daily said Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation has gained experience through developing fighters and bombers from the 1990s.
A report published by National Defense University in Beijing said China at present lacks the cargo planes to match its rivals in the Asia-Pacific. The report said the United States has 700 cargo planes while Russia has 800 and India has 200 medium and large-size transport aircraft. China needs 400 medium-sized transport planes like the Y-20 to equip 20 air regiments to meet the needs of the PLA Air Force, the report said.
Chinese military expert Xu Yongling said the cargo planes can also be exported to China's allies and security partners such as Pakistan and states in Latin America.
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