By Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins

Escorted by a J-15 fighter and numbered "20001," China's domestically-produced Y-20 transport aircraft successfully completed  its maiden flight on Jan. 26 at the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)'s China Flight Test Establishment in Sha'anxi province, remaining airborne for an hour , according to state-run media reports. In an example of selective transparency to boost pride at home and credibility abroad, domestic media were rapidly notified of the Y-20's test flight (see CCTV broadcast here and here) and Chinese military enthusiasts are energetically welcoming the news.

"First we heard about the test flight of the J-31 stealth fighter jet, then the landing and takeoff of the J-15 on our aircraft carrier, and now we embrace the birth of the Y-20," the state-run English-language China Daily quoted Qu Renming, a white-collar worker in Beijing, as saying. "The only concern for military fans is when can the Y-20 use our domestically developed engine and enter into service."

The Y-20's first flight suggests that China is on the way to joining the U.S., Russia and Ukraine as the fourth nation to independently develop and fly a heavy military transport aircraft. Its development represents a meaningful step toward China being able to develop a more robust ability to project aerial power, both in the form of air transport and aerial refueling. It also offers a large airframe that could eventually provide a foundation for building airborne early warning aircraft and large air tankers capable of supporting long-range strike fighters. Finally, the Y-20 transport could eventually be exported to friendly nations, and perhaps beyond if AVIC can build and sell it for less than the cost of competitors such as the Russian IL-76. The PLAAF currently operates 20 IL-76s, and has reportedly ordered 30 more.

Aircraft Design and Construction Advances