The Type 901 comprehensive supply ship Hulunhu conducts maritime replenishment to the Type 055 destroyers Lhasa and Anshan at an undisclosed sea region in 2022. Photo: Courtesy of the PLA Navy

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and Air Force are extending their reach with new milestones in replenishment ships and large cargo planes, a move experts said on Sunday contributes to not only China's national defense but also world peace and stability.

As the first hull of China's domestically developed Type 901 sea-going comprehensive replenishment ship, the Hulunhu displays outstanding maritime supply capability in terms of size as well as replenishment methods, including conducting side, stern and vertical transfers of liquid and solid goods simultaneously for multiple ships, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

"Now the Hulunhu can conduct replenishment for all of our main surface combatants under all sorts of challenging conditions," Yu Lu, a crew member of the Hulunhu, was quoted by CCTV as saying.

Yu said that the replenishment ship is expected to receive a boost by integrating more intelligentized equipment including unmanned and monitoring devices, so the work procedures can become safer and more efficient.

According to openly available information, the PLA Navy also operates the Chaganhu, another Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship, and both the Hulunhu and the Chaganhu have accompanied multiple types of warships including aircraft carriers, Type 055 large destroyers, Type 052D destroyers and Type 054A frigates in far seas exercises.

In addition to the Type 901, the PLA Navy has also commissioned several Type 903/A comprehensive replenishment ships, which regularly join PLA escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, according to media reports.

Having conducted complex, combat-oriented replenishment-at-sea operations for main combat vessels at far seas in many missions over recent years, Chinese replenishment ships demonstrated that they have reached a high level of operational capability, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

Large comprehensive replenishment ships are vital to building a blue water navy, because they enable vessels to reach farther distances and remain at sea for longer periods of time, experts said.

Similarly, with the commissioning of the Y-20 large transport aircraft, the PLA Air Force is on track to become a strategic air force, observers said.

Two Y-20 large transport aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force fly in formation. Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China

As the first unit to enlist Y-20s, an aviation regiment affiliated with the PLA Western Theater Command Air Force started since 2023 to recruit newly graduated cadets in a move to train more young pilots, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.

Prior to this development, experienced pilots were chosen to convert to fly Y-20s, Xinhua reported.

"In order to boost personnel training for combat-oriented strategic airlift, we must broaden channels to recruit and train, and accelerate the pace of personnel growth at different stages," Xinhua quoted Liu Xiaojun, who is one of the first Y-20 pilots and flight instructors, as saying.

The need for more pilots is a reflection of mass delivery of Y-20s to the PLA Air Force, and with a large number of strategic transport aircraft, as well as tanker aircraft developed from it, the PLA Air Force can also reach more places, analysts said.

Observers pointed out that the Chinese replenishment ships and transport aircraft have participated in several overseas humanitarian aid, disaster relief and escort missions, providing public security goods to the international community.

These missions show that the PLA's development contributes to peace and stability, expert said.