China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft

SinoSoldier said:

A "modified" Y-20 with a different overall size and configuration is a new-sheet design altogether. Windscreen shapes/arrangement, undercarriage, size, nose, all differ significantly from that of the Y-20.

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Overall size looks identical to me. Windscreen and nose are identical; it's distorted in the picture, the video shows the similarity better. The undercarriage fairing is different but the arrangement of the landing gears is identical. Fairings are not integral to the load-bearing structure, they can be modified without much consequence.

There are scant indications this is a clean sheet design. In all likelihood it's a Y-20 fuselage that's either been modified or was an old static testbed and didn't get the newest facelift features.

jobjed said:

Overall size looks identical to me. Windscreen and nose are identical; it's distorted in the picture, the video shows the similarity better. The undercarriage fairing is different but the arrangement of the landing gears is identical. Fairings are not integral to the load-bearing structure, they can be modified without much consequence.

There are scant indications this is a clean sheet design. In all likelihood it's a Y-20 fuselage that's either been modified or was an old static testbed and didn't get the newest facelift features.

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Ok I'm obviously seeing something different from you, because:

(1) The windshield pane shapes are not the same. On the Y-20, the front-side window (the one between the side-facing window and the two front-facing ones) is much smaller than the other windows, whereas on the mystery airframe it is approximately the same size (it is the one without the windshield installed).

(2) Size-wise, the actual Y-20 is significantly larger than the one photographed here, and a simple comparison to the cars and people shows that. A Y-20-sized aircraft would tower over the surrounding vehicles, humans, and the tractor-trailer towing it. See the following photo:

(3) The nosecone of the Y-20 is more curved at the top than the one on this airframe (which has straighter "sides"). The size of the nosecone is also proportionally smaller to the rest of the front fuselage in the case of the Y-20 when compared to here.

(4) The "hole" on the wing roots of the Y-20 is also different from that on this mystery airframe.

Not an exact match to the Y-30 either but a lot closer in terms of size and shape than it is to the Y-20.

Should be Y-30, revised edition.
Would be great for China to have a C-130/A-400M equivalent.

SinoSoldier said:

Ok I'm obviously seeing something different from you, because:

(1) The windshield pane shapes are not the same. On the Y-20, the front-side window (the one between the side-facing window and the two front-facing ones) is much smaller than the other windows, whereas on the mystery airframe it is approximately the same size (it is the one without the windshield installed).

(2) Size-wise, the actual Y-20 is significantly larger than the one photographed here, and a simple comparison to the cars and people shows that. A Y-20-sized aircraft would tower over the surrounding vehicles, humans, and the tractor-trailer towing it. See the following photo:

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(3) The nosecone of the Y-20 is more curved at the top than the one on this airframe (which has straighter "sides"). The size of the nosecone is also proportionally smaller to the rest of the front fuselage in the case of the Y-20 when compared to here.

(4) The "hole" on the wing roots of the Y-20 is also different from that on this mystery airframe.

Not an exact match to the Y-30 either but a lot closer in terms of size and shape than it is to the Y-20.

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Both the picture you linked and the screenshot above show a human's height is about twice the diameter of the main landing gear wheel. There is no discernible size disparity. The attached wing and tail of the other picture inflates the size of the actual fuselage.


There are minute differences in the windscreen arrangement but they are overall very similar.



The front landing gear compartment also almost reaches the bottom of the radome, just like on the Y-20. Note all the doors have not been installed.



The top of the radome of the mystery airframe seems to reach further up from the usual Y-20 radome, explaining its "straightness" and proportional increase in size. However, the nose of the two aircraft still look identical in size, especially in proportion to the wheel and windows.




As of right now, I would give this airframe an 85% chance of being a modified, old, or shitty civilian-made model Y-20, a 10% chance of being the Y-30, and 5% chance something else.

I'd say it's not Y20 variant. Curve of the new plane after the cockpit is greater, pointing to a less tall and therefore less wide fuselage. The curve on Y20 goes on and is higher.

Landing gear empenagge also points to a more boxy shape, better suited for lower speeds, possibly pointing towards turboprop design. And the distance to ground is different. Possibly pointing in greater vertical movement of the landing gear, which could point towards greater unprepared runway capability. Again something that tactical sized turboprop is better suited for.

Even if i made some gross error in measurements, the margin of error can't be that huge. Anyone can see those two fuselages are of different height.

New...

It has been proved to be an old prototype of Y20.

Why on Earth are they parading this thing through the streets ??

Was there no short cut ?

yt19967 said:

It has been proved to be an old prototype of Y20.

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Indeed ... if you look at this bird's c/n !

asif iqbal said:

Why on Earth are they parading this thing through the streets ??

Was there no short cut ?

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Maybe if they acquire some Mi-26s or the equivalent, they won't need to parade it through the streets. Otherwise I think it will be inevitable.