Are the Russian engines on these older models gonna be replaced by the WS-20 or does PLAAF intend to keep them?
China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft - esp. Y-20/YY-20
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
Last edited:
You mean a 120-ton payload capacity airlifter, with an MTOW of 468.3 tons (which is quite heavier than the An-124 Ruslan's MTOW of ~402 tons).
Still, this could very well just be an academic exercise rather than being an actual project (unless there are further information which suggests otherwise).
yes. this is just the research. but all aerospace related institutes are affiliated so their research can be proceed any time if required. this is indeed an interesting concept.
US too planning to replace both C-17/C-5 with single next generation heavy lifter in 2040's
It's probably heavier due to all the extra internal volume, this aircraft looks to have more volume than either An-124 or C-5 due to its BWB design. IMO, you are right with how conservative the higher ups are I doubt something as radical as this design would be chosen.
As a matter of practice, the Chinese Air Force doesn't easily replace engines.
Most of the 31F engines are used to the end of their service lives.
From a practical point of view, the Chinese Air Force maintains a low production rate for almost all aircraft types, and continuously replaces older models with newer designs, which has higher marginal benefits.
Last edited:
Continued. (2/3)
