China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) now operates 10 Y-20B strategic airlifters, the latest variant of its heavy transport aircraft comparable to russia's Il-76. Unlike the baseline version, the Y-20B is powered by China's domestically developed WS-20 turbofan engines rather than russian-made powerplants.
The milestone was showcased during an "elephant walk" conducted at Kaifeng Air Base in central China, according to Janes.
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The publication notes that satellite imagery from November 2024 showed five Y-20Bs stationed at Kaifeng, while PLAAF officials publicly acknowledged only three aircraft of this variant as recently as September 2025.
Although nearly all serial numbers were blurred in the released footage, one aircraft briefly revealed the serial number 20342, identifying it as belonging to the 37th Air Regiment of the 13th Transport Aviation Division, which is based at Kaifeng Air Base.
The footage is also significant because it offers one of the clearest views yet of the WS-20 engine's fan assembly. The engine features 32 narrow, high-aspect-ratio fan blades connected by dampers, a design detail that has fueled speculation that the WS-20 was derived from the AEF1200 commercial turbofan developed by AECC.
Defense Express notes that the PLAAF currently operates approximately 55 Y-20 aircraft in total. Around 45 of them are believed to be the original Y-20A variant powered by russian D-30KP Series II engines, each producing 117.7 kN of thrust.
China's overall fleet of heavy and medium military transport aircraft is estimated at around 135 aircraft. The Y-20 family represents the country's largest airlifters and accounts for roughly 55% of that fleet.
The Y-20 has a maximum payload capacity of up to 60 tonnes, placing it in the same class as the Il-76. russia likewise advertises a 60-tonne payload for the modernized Il-76MD-90A, making the two aircraft broadly comparable in terms of carrying capacity.
Ivan Kyrychevskiy, serviceman of the 413th Raid Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine and weapons expert at Defense Express.
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