With Updated Information
The latest variant of China’s Y-20 cargo aircraft–the Y-20B–has been spotted at a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Air Base, signaling its possible induction into service.
A set of satellite images dated November 29 obtained by Janes shows five Y-20B and 18 Y-20A at the Kaifeng Air Base in the east-central Henan region of China. The base falls under the PLA’s Central Theatre Command and is home to the 37th Air Regiment of the PLAAF.
China has not officially acknowledged the induction of the aircraft.
The report follows images of the aircraft posted on social media in late November by multiple PLA watchers, including Hurin. In addition, Chinese military aviation specialist Andreas Rupprecht separately published satellite images of the aircraft on social media site X (previously Twitter) earlier this month.
Counting five Y-20B, Rupprecht said the new upgraded aircraft distinguishes from the existing Y-20A with a “white paint circular spot.”
Later, he published another post speculating that if the “white-dot detail” was indeed a correct marker of difference between the two aircraft, then it is likely that there are more Y-20B than previously anticipated. He wrote: “Then actually already 11x Y-20Bs would be seen at XAC (Xi’an Aircraft Corporation) in October 2024 and 4 regular Y/YY-20As.”
The aircraft first appeared with a typical PLAAF paint scheme over Kaifeng City in March 2023.
Moreover, several claims about the aircraft’s induction into the PLAAF have surfaced on social media in the past year. However, these claims have not been formally confirmed by the PLAAF.
What Do We Know About the Y-20B?
The Y-20B is the new variant of China’s Y-20 transport aircraft, officially called “Kunpeng” after a mythical Chinese bird nicknamed “Chubby Girl” for its appearance.
Powered by the locally produced WS-20 high-bypass turbofan engine, the Y-20B is a major upgrade over the previous models that use the Soloviev D-30KP-2 engines obtained from Russia. The unique design of the WS-20 makes the “B” variation easy to identify.
The WS-20, designed by Shenyang Engine Design Institute, is anticipated to generate approximately 31,000 pounds of thrust, significantly more than the 26,450 pounds produced by the D-30KPII.
Notably, the development and now possible induction of the aircraft point toward a massive modernization program undertaken by China to indigenize its aircraft.
The Military Report program featured a video of the aircraft in 2023. The report showed a Y-20B loaded with cargo that was subsequently air-dropped under parachutes, demonstrating the Y-20B’s potential use in an airborne attack role.
As previously noted by the EurAsian Times, the new engine will provide the Y-20B with a better bypass ratio, giving it an improved fuel economy and greater endurance and air-refueling capabilities than the previous Russian engines that powered the older Y-20.
This will expand the Y-20B’s reach well beyond the first island chain, a string of islands encumbering seas around China and part of China’s first line of defense. It is safe to say that the aircraft would be a valued asset amid the lingering threat of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
There is currently a paucity of information on the exact features of the aircraft, but it is likely to build upon the role already played by the Y-20A. Since its induction into the service, Y-20’s versatility has helped the PLAAF to quickly mobilize large forces and cargo with its payload capacity of 73 tons.
Apart from serving as a transport aircraft, it is believed that the Y-20 could be modified to serve as a tanker for refueling other military aircraft or as a strategic command center for coordinating drones and fighter jets during the conflict. There is a possibility that the PLAAF will eventually reconfigure the Y-20B as per requirement.
In fact, images of a Y-20B Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) have been posted on X on multiple occasions.
A popular PLA analyst, Rick Joe, earlier said all Y-20B airframes may be capable of conversion to a tanker role through wing pods. He said this would be meaningful because “Relative to the PLA’s air fleet size (PLAAF + PLANAF), especially their fighter fleet, the current tanker fleet size is very small. Compared to the USAF, the difference is even more stark, even if one accounts for a lack of an expeditionary mission for the PLA.”
Making a case for an MRTT role for Y-20B, he said: “Given the PLA has a massive need for Y-20 strategic transports as a baseline (150+, 200+ or more) — if most of those are Y-20B, and if all Y-20B are MRTT capable, then the no. of “potential tanker airframes” is much larger than separating Y-20B to only a transport role.”
If the Y-20B, with better engines and augmented range, doubles up as an MRTT, it would double the range of the Chinese 5th-generation fighter jets like the J-20 and J-35.
Military expert Kris Osborn explained, “While many of China’s fighters are within range of attacking Taiwan on a single sortie, expanded combat radius would enable much longer ‘dwell time’ for fighter planes searching for targets in the skies above Taiwan. Furthermore, greater power projection would expand the reach of its growing fleet of aircraft carriers, bringing increased ability to hold areas at risk from farther ranges.”
Having said that, the timing of the Y-20B’s appearance is significant as it comes at a time when the Y-20 is looking to make it big in the export market.
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