Russian media attention: Y-30, the new Chinese military transport aircraft exposed!
The key is not about demonstrating capabilities, but about mass production capabilities!
On January 8th, Russian media "Today China" published an article.
China has demonstrated the prototype of the Y-30 aircraft.
The Y-30 performs excellently at high altitudes, maintaining over 85% thrust and can take off at 4,500 meters altitude without unloading cargo to reduce weight.
Its photos have begun to circulate on Chinese social media and professional forums.
French media emphasized that this is undoubtedly a controlled information "leak" (like many Chinese secret projects).
The reason is simple: China needs to show the West significant progress in the military transport aviation field, which is seen as a weak link.
The Y-30 is positioned as a medium tactical military transport aircraft, which is crucial for the "last mile"—that is, getting as close as possible to the paratrooper drop zone or combat deployment area.
Moreover, this new aircraft is not intended to play the role of a "workhorse" like the Y-20. Instead, it fills the gap between the light transport aircraft Y-8/Y-9 and the heavy jet aircraft Y-20.
This approach reflects a shift in China's military thinking.
But now, the focus is no longer on singular demonstration capabilities, but on mass production, repeatability, and the ability to quickly reinforce military presence at multiple locations simultaneously.
That is, the popular concept of "scalability."
Visually, it resembles a scaled-down version of the Airbus A400M (US) or an upgraded version of the classic Lockheed C-130 Hercules (US), but with Chinese operational priorities integrated.
China will use this new aircraft to support forward bases, island garrisons, and temporary positions, as using heavy jet transport aircraft is economically and tactically impractical in these places.
The Y-30 will be indispensable in the mountainous areas of western frontiers and the South China Sea islands.
Naturally, the Chinese side has not disclosed the exact parameters of the aircraft, and currently only estimated data are available.
The maximum takeoff weight is approximately 75-80 tons, with a payload of more than 20 tons, which is significantly lower than the Y-20's (66 tons) level.
Certainly, the flight speed and range of the Y-30 will be lower than those of jet transport aircraft, and it may even require aerial refueling.
But here lies the strategic wisdom of Chinese commanders.
The country is actively developing its fleet of aerial refueling tankers and long-range early warning aircraft, which create favorable conditions for transport aircraft.
It is precisely the large-scale production of reliable and low-cost aircraft like the Y-30 (rather than record-breaking performance parameters) that ultimately determines the stability of the entire Chinese defense industry system.
This actually represents a replication of the Soviet system, which was tested and proven, where the USSR mass-produced various reliable and high-quality weapons systems.
The Y-30 is another cornerstone of the entire Chinese military transportation system.
This article references: Dmitry Kapustin
"Y-30: The New Chinese Military Transport Aircraft Revealed, Indispensable in Mountainous Areas and Archipelagos"
Images from the network
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853701732378688/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author."