The newly upgraded Y-20B transport aircraft of the Y-20 fleet, which has recently carried out a mission to repatriate the remains of the 13th batch of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs from South Korea, features its major core upgrade in the full installation of the larger-diameter domestically developed WS-20 turbofan engines, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Saturday.
The newly upgraded Y-20B transport aircraft of the Y-20 fleet features its major upgrade in the full installation of the larger-diameter domestically-developed WS-20 turbofan engines. (Photo: CCTV News)
Equipped with four domestically built high-bypass turbofan engines, the Y-20B has solved the problem of relying on imported core power systems. This results in lower fuel consumption, longer range, greater payload and higher flight efficiency. With its key performance limitations fully addressed, the aircraft has acquired superior long-range strategic airlift capability, the report said.
According to Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs commentator, the Y-20B is China's most powerful and advanced strategic transport aircraft. Its most prominent external feature is the adoption of four domestically developed high-bypass turbofan engines. Compared with the slimmer engines used in earlier variants, the Y-20B features a much larger engine diameter, which is the most visible hallmark of the domestic WS-20 turbofan engine, according to CCTV News.
A higher engine bypass ratio translates to better fuel efficiency, enabling a substantial increase in the aircraft's range. Meanwhile, the WS-20 delivers notably greater thrust than the previously installed WS-18 engine, bringing all-round improvements to the Y-20B's payload capacity, flight safety and operational reliability, Fu said.
Fitted with domestically developed WS-20 engines, the Y-20B has a maximum takeoff weight of around 220 tons and a maximum payload of 66 tons, capable of fully carrying a domestically built main battle tank. In terms of its flight control system, avionics system, and newly upgraded powerplant, the overall technical level of the Y-20B has reached world-class standards, the Chinese military affairs commentator said.
According to Fu, as an outstanding strategic transport aircraft, the Y-20B can logically serve as an ideal platform for refitting various special mission aircraft and could be developed into electronic warfare aircraft, airborne command posts, psychological warfare aircraft and airborne early warning aircraft.
According to CCTV News, the Y-20B made its public debut at the major military parade in central Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II on September 3, 2025. In just about half a year, the new model has achieved rapid progress through type certification, operational training and combat capability formation, officially becoming a core strategic airlift equipment with full combat readiness.
Over the years, the Y-20 series has been deployed to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and other regions, adapting to diverse meteorological and geographical conditions with stable and outstanding performance. It has also undertaken numerous high-altitude emergency transportation and material delivery missions, fully proving that this large transport aircraft can meet all of China's needs for intercontinental strategic projection, all-domain emergency support and border defense operational assistance, the report said.