A Chinese defence conglomerate took a new tack to create the country’s biggest military transport plane , opting to pool design and production input from various subsidiaries rather than relying on just one, according to state media. Aerospace juggernaut Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) enlisted several of its subsidiaries to design and develop the Y-20 transporter more than a decade ago, with Xian Aircraft Industry Corporation (XAIC) taking the lead in the project, state broadcaster CCTV reported last week. In the past, design, development and production of aircraft in China had been assigned to one entity. “[All of the aircraft companies] of the country were mobilised to complete the Y-20 project,” Han Xianli, former office director of Avic’s heavy transport aircraft, told CCTV. “The project was developed under a joint cooperation system to bring together all the key technologies in our country’s aviation industry.” The Y-20 made its maiden flight in 2013 and was handed over to the People’s Liberation Army in 2016, eight years after the project was launched. That compares with the 14-year development time for the American C-17 air freighter and 11 years for the Russian Il-76, according to CCTV. Its development was driven by the central leadership’s desire for an aerial platform for an early-warning and control system similar to one used in Russia. It has a maximum take-off weight of around 200 tonnes and can travel nearly 10,000km (6,200 miles) without refuelling. Giving a rare glimpse of the XAIC’s massive aircraft production base in Shaanxi, the CCTV report said XAIC spent more than 70 million yuan (US$9.7 million) on a digital design system to enable engineers to pool their ideas. The CCTV report did not detail the key technologies involved, but an article in Chinese military magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology in August last year said almost all of Avic’s subsidiaries were part of the project. The article said XAIC was responsible for the development of the forebody, central fuselage and wing units, while Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) contributed to the Y-20’s radar and dome design. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) took part in the tail design for the Y-20, while other Avic subsidiaries such as Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), shared responsibilities for components production. Both CAIG and SAC are the People’s Liberation Army ’s key weapon contractors focused on developing the J series fighter jets. XAIC also makes vertical tails for Boeing 737-700 airliners. Fu Qianshao, a retired PLA Air Force equipment specialist, said the Y-20 could be further developed as a platform for the country’s strategic early-warning platform, given the participation of different aircraft designers and experts in its evolution. “But it will still take time to make a lot of changes because of the vast difference in structure and weapon systems between transport and early-warning aircraft,” Fu said. China has unveiled new short-range air defence systems that target drones Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military and science technology think tank, said there were many problems with repurposing the Y-20, saying adding an early-warning radome to the transport aircraft would have a dramatic impact on its speed. “There are a lot of questions and it will need a lot of trials. Some of the Y-20’s technology could be used for early-warning aircraft and even new airliner projects, which might be the better platforms for next generation early-warning aircraft,” he said. Macau-based military commentator Antony Wong Tong said using transport aircraft as the platform of early warning aircraft was a Russian approach, while the Americans opted for airliners. “China is developing its new generation KJ-3000 strategic early-warning aircraft, which need a bigger platform, but the country doesn’t have big aircraft like its American counterpart, so Y-20 would be the only option,” Wong said.