China’s Y-20 Transport Aircraft Conducts First Airdrop Test

China's largest domestically-developed transport aircraft, the Y-20, recently conducted its first joint airdrop training.

In a post on People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's Sina Weibo on Tuesday, AF spokesperson Shen Jinke said the Y-20, which joined the air force in July 2016 and was displayed at the grand military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the PLA in July 2017, has started actual combat training. 

The 200-ton freighters have been transferred to some high-altitude aerodrome to conduct training exercises, including long-range deliveries and airdrops, Shen said. 

And since the air force has announced such training for the freighters, it is safe to say that the domestically-developed Y-20 has mastered long-range delivery and airdrop capabilities, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.

Shen noted that the strategic capability of the country's air force should be constantly expanded to stay in line with the country's national interests, to perform a variety of missions over a wider area.