Y-20 pilots conduct nighttime training on April 27. YU HONGCHUN/FOR CHINA DAILY
The Y-20, nicknamed Kunpeng after a giant bird in Chinese mythology, is China's first domestically developed large military transport aircraft. It was officially commissioned in July 2016, marking a milestone in the strategic delivery capability of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
The project, led by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Group Co, began in 2007. Its prototype first flew in 2013 before entering service in 2016. With a maximum takeoff weight of 220 metric tons and a payload of 66 tons, Chinese pilots affectionately call it "Chubby Girl" for its wide fuselage.
Ten years after its commissioning, the aircraft has not only deeply integrated itself into various combat readiness training sessions, but also displayed its power in non-military tasks such as disaster relief, humanitarian rescue and overseas transport missions.
Over the decade, the aircraft itself has also evolved from a single transport platform into a family consisting of multiple variants including the original Y-20A, the Y-20B with domestically developed WS-20 engines, and the YY-20A aerial tanker.
It has reached Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, building a channel for international exchanges and demonstrating the open, confident and pragmatic image of the Chinese military.
