China's Heavy Transport Plane Makes Its First Flight

Ushering in a new era of Chinese military projection, China's Xian Y-20 indigenously produced heavy transport plane took its maiden flight January 26.

Pakistan Defence reports the Y-20, built by Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation for the Chinese PLAAF, flew for about 60 minutes while escorted bya J-15 fighter jet.

China Daily reports the flight is a milestone in Beijing's military development:

"A genuine strategic air power must possess a strong power projection capability, which is highly reliant on large aircraft, namely a strategic air freighter and a strategic bomber," Wang Yanan, deputy editor-in-chief at Aerospace Knowledge magazine and a military analyst, said.

"The long-range power projection capability of the Chinese air force still lags behind. But the Y-20 means we have made strides toward building a strategic air power." He said the breakthrough in the technology of large military aircraft will substantially accelerate the development of China’s aviation industry and boost the drive to modernize the People’s Liberation Army.

David Cenciotti at The Aviationist frst reported sightings of the Y-20 in December and noted it looked like the plane could be a C-17 hybrid.