Isn't one of the Y-20s sent to Austria last month also has a national flag on its tail?
Hopefully so!
China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
Yes, 20240 (the specific airframe in question) did.
However, looking at recent new Y-20As and YY-20As in service, they all seem to adopt the low vis livery without the flag -- 20240 is the exception rather than the norm.
So for this Y-20B, until we get a clear image of whether there's a unit number (which would confirm its status), the presence of the flag on the tail makes me think that it's more likely to be a painted prototype rather than an in service aircraft.
Well … but at least there are a few operational Y-20As which for special events - like the transfer of soldiers to Austria - are also carrying the huge PRC flag.
Yes, but as I wrote subsequently, it is the norm for most new Y-20s and YY-20s to have low vis markings without the flag.
At this stage I think calling the aircraft as having "PLAAF markings" is thus a bit early. It's "possible" that it is an operational aircraft PLAAF markings that for some reason went against the current norm and painted the flag on the tail, but it could very well be a painted prototype as well, as past prototypes when painted have had the flag on their tail too.
The only way of telling whether it's actually a PLAAF aircraft or not is by serials, which of course the photo isn't clear enough for.
So IMO at this stage it is too early to call it as "PLAAF markings".
Read on Weibo that it will be used for foreign transport operations so the new engine could be shown off to prospective buyers.
There is a large enough proportion of in-service Y-20s that have the flag, that I don’t think that logic holds.
Would the norm not be that operational Y-20s do not have the flag, except for the non-insignificant number that do, which must be for a specific reason (likely foreign “goodwill” or diplomatic ops, like many have posited).
The majority of recent new build/newly commissioned Y-20s and YY-20s lack the flag, so I think the logic definitely does hold.
To be clear, my point is that at this stage it's too early for us to call the Y-20B as being in "PLAAF markings" because that implies we believe it is an in service aircraft.
At best, we can say that it *might* be a a Y-20B that is in PLAAF service which they've chosen to paint the flag on the tail for some reason -- BUT its appearance is also entirely consistent with what we would expect a painted Y-20B prototype to look like. After all, past Y-20 prototypes have had similar appearances and more importantly they've had the flag on the tail as well.
The only way to definitively confirm if this is an in service Y-20B is by having sufficiently clear pictures with serial numbers.
However as it stands right now, we cannot in good honesty say that it is a PLAAF Y-20B, because it could just very well be a painted Y-20B prototype as well.
Oneninety from Weibo claims that it is just one of the prototype planes repainted.
