Y-20 carries pride of nation

Blue signs with white lettering line the staircase of a barracks of an aviation regiment of the People's Liberation Army Air Force — a passage aircrews climb every day. Posted in Chinese and English, they bear phrases pilots must memorize for international operations: "Startup approved", "Cleared for takeoff", "Expedite climb to 1,800 meters".

The signs are a marker of the regiment's international pivot. A decade ago, overseas missions were rare. Pilots could go years without speaking English on the radio. Today, the heavy-lift Y-20 transport plane — capable of flying 4,400 to 4,500 kilometers with a 66-metric-ton payload — has carried the PLA Air Force to more than 40 countries and regions.

"The Y-20 is a milestone not because it flies, but because it answers to no one — and carries everything we need," said Colonel Pang Rongqi, commander of the regiment.

The Y-20, nicknamed "Kunpeng" after a mythical Chinese giant bird, is China's first homegrown large military transport aircraft. The project started in 2007 by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Group Co. The prototype first flew in 2013 before entering service in 2016.

With a maximum takeoff weight of 220 tons and a payload of 66 tons, Chinese pilots affectionately call it "Chubby Girl" for its wide fuselage.

Behind the nickname is a machine that has fundamentally reshaped China's ability to project power beyond its borders.