China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
If they can get to 1 per month by the end of this year and 2 per month by the end of next, I think that would be pretty good progress.

Even if it would be even half that rate - at 1 per two months - it would represent an already more than impressive expansion of the PLAAF's transport capabilities.

Will be indeed interesting to observe how many will follow at what rate ...
 

delft

Brigadier
You need a large plant to build large numbers of large aircraft and as no similarly large program exists and so cannot be ending that means a new plant has been built by now. Has anyone looked for that plant on GE?
 

MwRYum

Major
A requirement of 200+ planes (including AEW, maritime patrol/ASW, and tanker variants) at 2 planes/month would see this program out to 9 years from now, which sounds like a very decent run for the Y-20.
The Y-20 would more likely to primarily satisfy the strategic transport needs, then branch out into other purpose - though I'd believe that the Il-76 airframe rotated out of the transport role would be converted to those platforms, thus streamlining the logistics.

But ultimately, AEW / maritime partrol / aerial tanker are better with using airliner airframe, given their typical operation is to fly at altitude in "race track loop" pattern, which would be a waste of airframe potential in the likes of Il-76 or Y-20, alas previously PLAAF has no better choice to do so - however, by the time Y-20 fleet become the fleet's mainstay, there should be enough Il-76 airframe for further conversion, and C-929 project should be progressed further enough to be given a try in military roles listed above.
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
Does anybody know how many Y-20s will be produced ? I've read everything from 100 to 300-400 to 1000.
100 seems reasonable for strategic airlift only, but too little if they would want the airframe for tankers/AWE&C/MPA/etc.pp. too.
1000 on the other hand is completely ridicoulous and would rival, if not surpass, the USAF strategic airlift/tankers/AWE&C/MPA capabilities.


USAF have about 52 C-5, 220 C-17 which are better as Y-20 and about 350 C-130 ...

Russian AF have also clearly more about 20 An-124, 100 Il-76, 50 An-12.

China have very few heavy cargos and tankers.

But China don' t need an also big Transport Fleet as USA which have an expeditionary Army for overseas operations with many bases in Allies countries.

For transport in fact even big cargos can't do the job* for a big qty of equipments and for it cargo ships are necessary durind Desert Storm, 90 % of equipment by ships, almost all by air and for it with Military Sealift Command USA have ! with in more prepositioned ships with yet also prepositionned equiments for Brigades.

*You can' t transport a full mechanized /armored heavy division by air.
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
Right now i see needs for 3 Transport Rgts about 50 aircrafts for could transport, parachute with others cargos one of the three Airborne Div of the 15th ABN Corps and fast 48 hour not for a week.
 

Akkarin

New Member
Registered Member
USAF have about 52 C-5, 220 C-17 which are better as Y-20 and about 350 C-130 ...

Russian AF have also clearly more about 20 An-124, 100 Il-76, 50 An-12.

Both An-12 and C-130 are tactical and not strategical transport planes, and thus not really comparable to the Y-20. China also has a fleet of tactical turboprop planes in the form of Y-8 and now the Y-9.
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
I think you don't understand me well, i don't talk category, types, numbers but also capacity, employment it is different.

And medium cargos can still carry up to 1500/2000 km, CR, so necessary count them.
 
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taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
Right now, the 15th airborne's lift capacity is ONLY enough for one division. I see the first priority of Y-20 is to make the whole 15th capable.

AWAC can stay on IL-76 for a while, as the adaptation has been done, making more converting easier than trying on Y-20. Also the IL-76 fleet still has some years of service life. During this period, PLAF can test one Y-20 for the AWAC convertion. Same goes to tanker.
 
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