AVIC Proposes C-130-Size Y-30 Airlifter
AVIC Proposes C-130-Size Y-30 Airlifter
A second Chinese military transport will follow the Y-20 into service
November 14, 2014
A Chinese airlifter as big as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules will go into service in the 2020s if the factory behind the project, Shaanxi Aircraft, is given a go-ahead, as expected.
The program is at the stage of concept design, say Chinese industry officials close to it. Full-scale development should begin in about two years, they add. If it does, and if progress is smooth, a first flight could take place in 2020.
The air force does want such an aircraft, the officials say, expecting the type to become China’s main airlifter. The Global Times, a Beijing-based newspaper, identifies it as the previously reported Y-30.
The Y-30 would have almost the same gross weight as the Hercules and Embraer KC-390, about 80 metric tons (176,000 lb.), but payload is intended to be 30 tons, compared with 19.6 tons for the U.S. aircraft. The high ratio of payload to gross weight implies a surprisingly large leap in efficiency over the C-130. Indeed, if the payload is achieved it will be comparable to the 37 tons of the Airbus A400M, an aircraft almost 80% bigger.
The proposed Chinese aircraft has apparently grown during the studies, since AVIC previously mentioned plans for a transport aircraft of about 60 tons gross weight.
As displayed in model form at the Zhuhai Airshow Nov. 11-16, it has four turboprop engines, but many conceptual designs are under consideration, some with turbofan propulsion. A turboprop engine option is the WJ-16, say the officials. This new engine, at an unknown stage of development, is supposed to generate 3,782 kw (5,072 hp) (AW&ST June 16, p. 48). It would give the Y-30 a higher power-to-weight ratio than that of the Hercules. Conceivably, another new engine, the 5,000-kw WJ‑10, could be used, giving a much higher power-to-weight ratio, like that of the A400M.
If jet propulsion is chosen there will be two engines, say the officials. In that case, the aircraft would be comparable in configuration to the KC-390. No potential turbofan was named, but a likely candidate is the WS-20, under development for the four-engine Y-20 heavy transport, whose design gross weight is more than 200 tons. The jet option may not be promising, because other industry officials say the WS-20 in its current form is not at all an advanced engine.
The maximum speed of the Y-30 will be 600-700 kph (370‑440 mph), say officials close to the project. That range of values reflects the uncertainty over propulsion but cannot include jet or WJ-10 options, which would have to be faster. The aircraft would be able to fly 6,000-7,000 km with an unstated payload.
The expected development timetable implies entry into service in the first half of next decade, so even with delays the aircraft should be operational well before 2030. Shaanxi Aircraft is the medium-airlifter specialist of AVIC Aircraft, an AVIC subsidiary that focuses on building large airplanes and their parts. Shaanxi manufactures the Y-9, which is in the same class as the new aircraft and is derived from the Y-8, a Chinese version of the Antonov An-12.
The Y-30 would be wider than the Y-8, Y-9 and C-130, officials say. This is an important selling point, because the Chinese armed forces are not satisfied with the cargo dimensions of the Y-8 and Y-9. AVIC is hopeful that the aircraft, if developed with turboprop engines, would find a good civil market in countries with poor ground communications.
Xian Aircraft, also part of AVI Aircraft, is developing the Y-20, the designation of which is now officially confirmed by AVIC. The type first flew in January 2013.
“At first glance the Shaanxi Y-30 appears to have benefited from design work for the Xian Y-20, but this may be explained in that both companies likely benefited from consulting services provided by the Antonov Corp. starting about 15 years ago,” says Richard Fisher, an analyst at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in the U.S.
If successfully developed, the Y-30 would give the Chinese armed forces more options for moving new medium-weight armored vehicles without having to rely on the Y-20, Fisher adds.
Chinese industry officials have also mentioned plans for a transport between the Y-20 and Y-30 in size. This appears to be the Y-19. The engine of the Y-19 is reportedly the WJ-10, although its power would suggest a gross weight of maybe 110 tons, or less if high performance is wanted. A bigger engine, the 6,000-kw WZ-20, has been reported but only as a turboshaft for use in a large helicopter. Again, turbofan propulsion has been considered and may still be under study, because officials say the program has not been launched.
Since the air force cannot urgently need three new airlifters—one of 80 tons, one of more than 200 tons and another in between—the Y-19 and Y-30 may compete for funding.
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