China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
Just curious, but I want to know if there's any info on how the PLAAF decided its requirement that results in Y-20. Its payload is great compared to previous Chinese heavy transport, but considering now PLA wants it to carry 2 ZTQ-15 in one go it's reported 66 tons max payload with WS-20 suddenly looks rather lacking since it barely covers the combined weight of the two tanks. IMO such low margin is pretty disconcerting as future tank upgrades might just bring the combined weight over the max payload, reducing it's carrying capacity to only 1 tank.
That's why I'm curious. Was PLAAF forced to compromise in their requirement due to the chronic lack of higher thrust indigenous turbofan to power the transport? Or when the Y-20's design was frozen the requirement for it to carry 2 light tanks hasn't come up yet?
That's why I'm curious. Was PLAAF forced to compromise in their requirement due to the chronic lack of higher thrust indigenous turbofan to power the transport? Or when the Y-20's design was frozen the requirement for it to carry 2 light tanks hasn't come up yet?
66 tons is quoted with D-30 engine. The payload capacity should increase when higher thrust WS-20 becomes available.
Really?? I thought it would archive the load of 66 tonnes ONLY when the WS-20 will become available.
Instead of the probe-and-drogue as illustrated
The ventral white "tube" on Y-20U
Could be the flying boom for the in-flight refueling of J-20 (and later H-20)
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Ahem
As you can see here no boom. She is probe. The PLAAF is a no boomer fleet to date it makes logical sense that if you don’t have a large fleet to tankers to standardize as many of you aircraft to tank with those you have. Having three drogue lines means tanking at max three birds at once.I don’t doubt that the Chinese are flirting with booms but I suspect that that would be more for potential export. Probe and drogue can be and has been used on bombers, fighters, transports, and helicopters it’s the most universally available type of tanker. Now yes boom fuels faster but given the tanker numbers need and the established systems.
PLAA has been quite serious about putting a boom system on Y-20:
It suites a relatively large plane, which can experience tremendous difficulty in catching a floating "basket". That is probably why there is only one KJ-500 with an experimental probe installed.
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Hi what 01 stand for on the cockpit though the numbers on the tail are different
if possible to answer
thank you
#01 (the first) Y-20 in the 13th Division: 20041
As for J-20's probe, the picture of #2015 prototype was probably photoshopped, as compared with F-35C's:
The only "official" image so far was from CCTV but pixilated:
It is possible that later versions of J-20 may switch to boom receptacles (or even with both probe and receptacle for flexibility): quicker refueling is safer for both the huge tanker and the stealthy fighter.
Also, Y-20U may use a boom-drogue combination for those with only probes, just like the F-14 below (easier to catch and faster refueling):
