‘Chubby girls’ enlist in nation’s air force
Print Edition
TWO large transport aircraft designed and manufactured in China were put into service by the nation’s air force yesterday.
Painted grey and carrying national flags and yellow serial numbers on their tails, the Y-20 planes are designed to transport cargo and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
Manufactured by state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Y-20 took its maiden flight in January 2013 and made its debut at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in November 2014.
The first two Y-20 planes were delivered to the air force last month, after five years of design and manufacture and another four years of test flights.
The company said the time between the start of the design and the Y-20’s flight was around half that of similar aircraft in other countries.
“China has joined the few nations capable of indigenously developing 200-ton level large transport aircraft,” said Geng Ruguang, vice general manager of AVIC and general director of the Y-20 project.
Codenamed kunpeng, after a mythical Chinese bird that can fly for thousands of kilometers, the Y-20 is also nicknamed “chubby girl” because of its deep and wide fuselage.
The fuselage is designed to hold more cargo and larger equipment, and also enables the Y-20 to be developed into other variants in the future, according to the manufacturer.
Air force spokesman Shen Jinke said: “The Y-20 entering into service marks a crucial step for the air force improving its strategic power projection capability.”
The air force needs more and better transport to better fulfill its military responsibilities, including safeguarding national security as well as domestic and international rescue and relief work, Shen added.
The air force has carried out many airdrop and evacuation tasks, responding to earthquakes, floods, fires and storms in China.
It has also provided aid and delivered relief supplies to Pakistan, Mongolia, Thailand, Nepal and other countries which have suffered disasters in recent years.
The Y-20 will form a powerful arm of the air force and help to boost China’s image as a responsible power, said Wang Mingliang, a professor at the Air Force Command College.
“The delivery of the Y-20 marks the realization of a Chinese aviation dream going back decades, and a major breakthrough in sci-tech innovation and high-end equipment manufacturing in China,” Geng said.
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