China Delivers Y-8 Military Transport Aircraft to Kazakhstan

China has handed over the Y-8 mid-size military transport aircraft to Kazakhstan, an aircraft considered as competitor to the US-made C-130.

Produced by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, the Y-8F200W is expected to land on Wednesday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, coming from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to the corporation's official WeChat account on Sunday.

The mid-size transport aircraft is the most practical and popular transport aircraft on the international market, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese air defense expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The Chinese Y-8 is the more cost-efficient choice than the C-130, according to Fu.

The  four-engine turboprop aircraft is based on the Russian Antonov An-12. It can be used for air delivery, transportation, emergency rescue and marine operation. Fu said that the successful export to Kazakhstan increases the potential to enter the Middle East and African countries.

The Y-8 transport aircraft has already been exported to Pakistan, Myanmar and Venezuela.

Aside from the Y-8, the Kazakhstan military has bought Chinese drones.