A Y-20 large transport aircraft attached to an aviation division under the PLA Western Theater Command flies at a predetermined altitude during a flight training mission on January 4, 2021. (eng.chianmil.com.cn/Photo by Liu Shu)

 

China's Y-20 large transport plane is set to change over to two types of domestically developed engines and the testing of which is proceeding well, which was announced at the ongoing Airshow China 2021 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday.

"The Y-20 now has Chinese hearts," Tang Changhong, chief designer of the aircraft, revealed at a press conference at the airshow.

He also revealed that the plane will be equipped with two types of domestically developed engines, both of which are undergoing flight tests that have been progressing smoothly.

After being equipped with these engines, the Y-20's capabilities have received a boost, Tang added.

Compared with the Russian D-30 engines the Y-20 currently uses, the Chinese engines could potentially provide more powerful thrust, use less fuel, and enable the plane to take off and land on shorter runways, Song Xinzhi, a Chinese military expert, said in a China Central Television report in 2020.

With the new engines, the Y-20 will also get a boost in range, endurance and cargo capacity, observers predicted.

The Y-20, in service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force, is also on display at the Airshow China 2021.

In the future, the Y-20 will be produced in large numbers using the Chinese-developed engines to serve as a platform that can be adapted into different variants, like an aerial tanker or an early warning aircraft, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times.