China’s Y-20 military transport prototype flew this past weekend from its development base in central China, according to press reports. The strategic airlifter, which bears a striking likeness to Boeing’s C-17, took off on Jan. 26 from a base near the city of Xi’an, reported the Associated Press on Jan. 28 (via ABC News). AP cited Chinese state-run media. The Y-20 addresses China’s need for long-range, heavy-lift aerial transport to extend its global reach. Aging Russian IL-76 aircraft currently serve in this role. Russian turbofan engines will initially power the Y-20 until indigenously developed powerplants are available, according to AP. Xian Aircraft Industry designed the airlifter.
The Air Force kicked off one of its biggest exercises this week with the latest edition of Bamboo Eagle, featuring combined virtual and live training scenarios focused on test the command-and-control “nervous system” leaders need to operate on a complex joint battlefield spread over vast distances.
