strengthening people-to-people emotional ties and testing intercontinental flight capabilities, the chinese air force’s flight routes are flying farther and farther
2024-09-27
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[global times reporter guo yuandan] the 15th china international aviation and aerospace expo will be held in zhuhai from november 12 to 17. many types of the people’s liberation army’s main fighter aircraft that are attracting attention from the outside world will be unveiled at the air show. on september 18, the chinese air force's y-20 transport aircraft made its debut at the south african aerospace and defense exhibition in pretoria, the capital of south africa, and conducted static and dynamic displays. this was the first time that the y-20 flew to south africa. . in the eight years since it entered the fleet, the y-20’s flight path has become wider and farther. military experts interviewed by the global times said on the 25th that the y-20 is an important symbol of the rapid development of the aviation industry in the 75 years since the founding of the people's republic of china. its birth broke the western monopoly. as an important weapon of a great power, the y-20 is also a milestone in the history of china's aviation industry. in the eight years since its entry into the fleet, the y-20 has made every scene from rescue and disaster relief to transporting the remains of volunteer martyrs back home, from measuring the territory of the motherland with iron wings to going abroad to send peace and hope to the world. every scene makes people proud.
the y-20 transport aircraft participating in the first egypt air show. (visual china)
strategic delivery capability takes a critical step
the y-20, known as the "kunpeng of the great power", is a new generation of large military transport aircraft independently developed by my country. it has the characteristics of long range, heavy load, and high speed. on july 6, 2016, the y-20 was officially commissioned into the air force, marking a critical step in the strategic delivery capability of the people's air force.
on february 13, 2020, multiple y-20 aircraft transported a large number of military medical staff and supplies to wuhan tianhe airport. this is the first time that the y-20 has carried out a large-scale non-war military operation transportation mission since it was equipped with troops. on april 24 of the same year, the yun-20 carried nucleic acid testing kits, protective clothing and other epidemic prevention and control materials shipped to pakistan. this was the first time the yun-20 went abroad to perform non-war military operations.
since then, the y-20’s flight path has become wider and farther. to this day, the y-20 has traveled all over asia, africa, europe and oceania, establishing an emotional link with people around the world and becoming a strategic symbol of the people's air force's striving to become a powerful force.
in order to make the chinese air force's flight path farther and farther, the yunyou-20 came into being. in the "kunpeng" family, the yunyou-20 is a multi-purpose "all-rounder" that can quickly switch between aerial refueling and air transportation status, and has both refueling and transportation capabilities. "it can also perform airdrops, airborne landings, and medical rescue operations." he is a veritable 'all-rounder' for various tasks."
at the end of january 2024, the chinese air force used the yunyou-20 for the first time to provide aerial refueling support during the transfer of overseas missions, allowing the chinese air force's bayi aerobatic team to fly directly to saudi arabia without having to transfer at foreign airports. . "this long-distance transition of the performance aircraft formation was accompanied by domestically produced yuanyou-20 tanker aircraft, which reflects the achievements of the chinese air force's strategic transformation and construction." military expert ma quan analyzed in an interview with a reporter from the global times that aerial refueling technology is an indispensable key technology for the modern air force, it can greatly extend the time the aircraft remains in the air and improve the endurance of the fighter aircraft. when fighter aircraft go to perform missions overseas, they use aerial refueling during the transition process, without the need for the aircraft to land at the airport, reducing the need for dependence on ground airports.
carry out humanitarian relief missions
in november 2023, a strong earthquake occurred in western nepal, causing a large number of casualties and property losses. two chinese air force y-20 transport aircraft transported a total of about 50 tons of urgently needed cotton tents, blankets and other relief materials to nepal. the y-20 has previously flown to afghanistan to carry out relief supplies.
at the 2022 zhuhai air show, the bayi aerobatic team flew over the y-20. (visual china)
in addition to taking care of the "neighbors at home", the yun-20 has also traveled thousands of miles to tonga, solomon islands and other countries to provide assistance. in january 2022, after the tonga volcano erupted and caused serious disasters, in response to tonga's request for volcanic disaster relief, the people's liberation army dispatched y-20 to deliver disaster relief supplies to the country. in mid-february, the y-20 transport plane arrived in honiara, the capital of the solomon islands, loaded with testing reagents, oxygen concentrators and other epidemic prevention supplies.
for the y-20, every overseas mission is a test. long-distance flights in unfamiliar airspace and unexpected weather conditions can better test the equipment. the y-20 pilot who went on a mission to tonga previously said in an interview with the global times that the crew made corresponding plans for unfamiliar airspace and various weather conditions, and made accurate calculations of fuel consumption during long-range flights. "at that time, there were aftershocks and sporadic volcanic eruptions in tonga from time to time, and we also prepared emergency response measures in case of emergencies."
military expert zhang xuefeng told the global times that the y-20 has unique advantages in performing humanitarian assistance missions. first of all, it has good take-off and landing performance, short rolling distance, and high adaptability to runways. it can take off on unpaved runways and even dirt runways. secondly, the y-20 has a larger hatch and cargo hold, which can transport large equipment and is suitable for rapid loading and unloading.
"long-range delivery and strategic transportation are the biggest features of the yun-20. whether it is participating in various exercises overseas or participating in disaster relief and rescue activities, it fully reflects the powerful carrying capacity of the yun-20 and its ability to fly intercontinentally, which also makes "china's military power can go abroad and go overseas." a military expert analyzed to a reporter from the global times that before the y-20 was put into service, the chinese air force needed to import equipment from other countries. now we can go global on our own. , to carry out a series of humanitarian relief tasks such as peacekeeping and rescue, which is of great significance.
frequent visitors at chinese and foreign air shows
on november 11, 2014, at the 10th zhuhai air show, the y-20 made its debut and became the star aircraft at the air show. after a lapse of eight years, the chinese air force was invited to participate in the austrian air show, and the y-20 made a static display. this was the first time the chinese air force's y-20 went to europe to participate in an international air show.
in early september this year, at the invitation of the egyptian air force, seven j-10 aircraft of the chinese air force's y-20 and bayi aerobatic demonstration team participated in the first egyptian air show. during the air show, the y-20 made its overseas flight "debut" at el alamein airport in egypt. in the 9-minute flight demonstration, the y-20 completed a complete set of flight maneuvers including take-off, large elevation angle jumps and dives, steep slope turning maneuvers, low-altitude and low-speed field clearance, and rapid landing on small routes. many of the maneuvers have practical value. "these are the epitome of the daily actual combat training of the troops. they not only demonstrate the superior flight performance of the y-20, but also reflect the excellent tactical qualities of the chinese air force pilots." military expert wang mingzhi spoke highly of this.
half a month later, the y-20 made its debut at the african aerospace and defense exhibition and won great attention from the local people. "these overseas flight tracks of 'kunpeng' are a vivid demonstration of the chinese air force's phased achievements in accelerating the construction of a world-class air force." zhou zhengkai, the leader of the y-20 crew who participated in relevant tasks, said, "in the future, the chinese air force will be more confident in its the world, convey peace and friendship, and continue to sail far away.”
a military expert interviewed by a reporter from the global times said that the chinese air force's sending of y-20 to the international air show shows that we have the confidence to demonstrate the performance of the y-20 to the international market in a nationally produced manner; "at the same time, this also proves that we large transport aircraft have grown from scratch, and have become more and more solid. the production capacity of the y-20 is enough to meet domestic demand, and there is enough confidence to allow chinese equipment to go abroad and go global. a few countries such as the united states, russia, and even europe have difficulty building strategic transport aircraft, but now china has joined the echelon of advanced countries in the world. this is the greatest manifestation of a country’s national strength and scientific and technological capabilities.”
on the eighth anniversary of the y-20's entry into the air force, every chinese will have a strong sense of pride in their hearts, whether they are rushing to provide disaster relief in earthquake-stricken areas, welcoming the remains of volunteer martyrs home, or carrying peacekeeping officers and soldiers home. china’s “kunpeng” has lived up to its mission and has a promising future.
