PRC need both AN-22 type transport and a "Super Guppy" type transport.
PRC need a handful of heavy lifters (eg. C-5 / An-22) ...as the Boeing 747 cargo variant isn't capable of landing/take-off on unpaved runways.
PRC also need a couple of "Super Guppy / Beluga" to airlift oversize cargos.
PLA and CAAC need heavy lifters... as well as oversize cargo lifters (ie. C-5/AN-22, Super Guppy/ Beluga)
1. Do China need Super Guppy-type airlifter?
- Yes, but not exactly of Super Guppy design.
Especially when doing the alternative (i.e. Beluga XL-type airlifter) is actually way better.
Now with the C929 in the pipeline, it's only a matter of time before a Beluga XL-type design based on the C929's airframe is realised. Is it important to have? Absolutely. But it's not urgent to have, given China's vast road transportation network.
2. Does China need An-22-type airlifter?
- No, not really.
Why even bother with An-22-type airlifters with max payload of 70-80 tons, when larger airlifters in the C-5M (if not An-124) category with max payload capacity of 110-120 tons is in the works?
The same reasoning applies to the Y-30 - That is, why even bother to have yet another new, separate category for airlifters with 30+ tons of payload capacity while being sandwiched in between 20-30 and 60-70 tons of categories?
If something can be ferried by the Y-9/Y-30, then do so. If something is bigger than what the Y-9/Y-30 can carry, then just let the Y-20 carry it.
Similarly, if something is bigger than what the Y-20 can carry, then just let a C-5M-equivalent or a C-124-equivalent airlifter carry it instead. No need for an An-22-equivalent as an airlifter in a yet another new, separate category.
