Recently, the Western aviation professional media "International Airlines" reported on the dynamics of China's large transport aircraft Y-20, and developed two derivative models for the international market - the export Y-20BE and the civilian Y-20BR100, which will compete with the Il-76 and C-17 large transport aircraft.
Overseas media also mentioned an unobtrusive detail - when the Y-20B took off, it only took about 20 seconds, and the distance of more than 600 meters was easily pulled up. The body, which seemed to be a little bloated and fat, flew and became as light as a bird, showing the excellent short take-off and landing capabilities of the Y-20B, which left a very deep impression on people.
All this is due to the fact that the Y-20B is equipped with China's own WS-20 turbofan engine with a large bypass ratio, which can reach a maximum thrust of 15 tons, compared with the Soloviev D-30KP2 engine mounted on the Y-20, the thrust is increased by about 8%, and the fuel consumption is further reduced.
The upgrade of the powertrain has brought a significant performance improvement to the Y-20B. Its maximum load capacity has been increased to 66 tons, which is 15 tons more than the base model of the Il-76. This is an impressive figure, which is only a little more than 10 tons short of the C-17 Globemaster. In addition, the Y-20B's range has also increased, which means that it is capable of performing longer missions and covering a wider geographical area, providing us with a more robust strategic transport capability.
The Y-20B is 47 meters long, 18 meters high, has a wingspan of 50 meters, a minimum take-off distance of 600 to 700 meters, and a maximum take-off weight of 220 tons. Four WS-20 turbofan engines provide a maximum thrust of 60 tons and allow the aircraft to reach a cruising speed of Mach 0.75 (918 km / h). It has an estimated range of 8,000 km with a maximum payload of 66 tonnes and more than 10,000 km with a load of 40 tonnes.
Allegedly, the Chinese demand for the Y-20 family is about 400 units. These aircraft are mainly used for humanitarian assistance, as well as for the transport of personnel and heavy equipment during peacekeeping missions. In addition to these traditional transport missions, the Y-20 family includes a variety of derivatives for reconnaissance, early warning, command, anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, and aerial refueling. The addition of these derivative models not only enriches the product lineup and multi-mission capability of the Y-20 series, but also significantly expands the combat range and capabilities of the Y-20 series.
Thanks to the expansion of the manufacturer's production scale and the improvement of production efficiency, the Y-20 series can meet the premise of domestic use, and even more production capacity is used for export and civilian markets. The Y-20BE for export and Y-20BR100 for civilian use are the best proof of this. The success of these models not only demonstrates the versatility of the Y-20 family of aircraft, but also proves the competitiveness and attractiveness of the aircraft in the international market.
The export Y-20BE is not much different from the Y-20B in terms of performance and parameters, while the civilian version of the transport aircraft Y-20BR100 has been greatly improved on the basis of the Y-20B, and its fuselage length has been increased by 7 meters, with a total length of 47 meters to accommodate a larger cargo space. With a height of 15 meters, a wingspan of 45 meters, a maximum range of 7,800 kilometers and a carrying capacity of more than 60 tons, the Y-20BR100 is capable of accommodating multiple high-capacity international standard freight containers, making it ideal for global cargo missions.
Because, the global market for large transport aircraft is very attractive, and China does not want to miss this lucrative cake. The Forerunner C-17 and Il-76 have already achieved considerable success in the international export market, and currently eight countries around the world have purchased C-17s, one of which Qatar has painted with the Civil Aviation Company logo for civilian use.
The Il-76 has been exported to at least 20 countries and used in more than 20 defense forces and more than 30 civilian cargo airlines. Of course, China also hopes that its large transport planes can be sold all over the world, just as Chinese cars are exported all over the world to five continents.