China's Y-30 military transport aircraft flies for the first time.

China’s Y-30 medium military transport aircraft appears to have conducted its first flight on December 16, 2025.

As reported by Rupprecht Deino, a new flight footage suggests that China’s Y-30 medium military transport aircraft appears to have conducted its first flight on December 16, 2025. Competing with the A400M Atlas and the C-130J, the Y-30 will fill the capacity gap between the Y-9 medium transport and the Y-20 strategic airlifter, thanks to a planned payload capacity of around 30 tonnes and a four-turboprop configuration.
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The Y-30 is widely said to be able to handle loads that exceed the practical limits of older Y-9 medium transport aircraft while avoiding the higher operating demands of a Y-20 strategic airlifter. (Picture source: X/David Wang and SecretProjects/Lancer21)

The emergence of flight footage follows years of fragmented information, variable specifications, and shifting timelines, reflecting the gradual maturation of a concept that has been questioned publicly both in China and internationally since the mid-2010s. According to available information, the Y-30’s development is closely tied to the evolution of China’s transport fleet, which has relied for decades on derivatives of the Y-8, itself based on the Antonov An-12. The Y-9, which could have evolved from the Y-8X program, introduced modern avionics, engines, and structural improvements, but is generally characterized as a heavily modernized Y-8 rather than a clean-sheet design. As Chinese ground forces introduced heavier wheeled vehicles, including variants of the Type 09, limitations in cargo hold dimensions became more significant than raw payload figures alone. The Y-30 was therefore promoted as a wider aircraft than the Y-8, Y-9, and C-130, with a fuselage designed to accommodate loads that are difficult to handle within narrower cargo bays.

In this respect, the Y-30 mirrors design choices seen in newer transports worldwide, where the cargo bay cross-section is treated as a critical parameter alongside weight capacity, to transport modern wheeled armored vehicles without resorting to larger strategic aircraft for routine missions. Public discussion of the Y-30 concept became more concrete during Airshow China in Zhuhai in November 2014, when a model of a previously undisclosed medium transport was displayed. The model featured a high-wing layout, a T-tail, four turboprop engines driving six-bladed propellers, and a body-mounted main landing gear with tandem wheels on each side. This configuration is often associated with heavier medium transports such as the A400M and the Kawasaki C-2, although the latter is jet-powered and significantly heavier. At that stage, the aircraft was described as being in a conceptual phase, with no finalized specifications and with multiple development paths still under consideration. It was also suggested that, if approved and developed without major disruption, the aircraft that is now known as the Y-30 could become a mainstream transport within China’s airlift structure and potentially attract export interest in regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In terms of role and positioning, the Y-30 is consistently described in Chinese media as filling the gap between the Y-9 medium transport and the Y-20 strategic airlifter, both in payload and in operational usage. The Y-30 is therefore intended to expand China’s tactical airlift capacity and compete in a segment occupied internationally by aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-130J and, at a higher end, the Airbus A400M Atlas. A frequently cited target configuration points to a maximum takeoff weight of roughly 80 tonnes, which would place it near the upper end of the global medium transport category. The intended payload of about 30 tonnes is repeatedly highlighted as a key differentiator, offering substantially more lift than transport aircraft derived from the Y-8. This planned payload capacity exceeds that of the Y-9 and the C-130J, with payloads around 19 to 21 tonnes, but would remain below the A400M, which has a maximum payload of roughly 37 tonnes, that could soon rise to 40 tonnes in the future. This positioning reflects a Chinese effort to expand tactical airlift capacity, while still operating from shorter or less-prepared runways than jet-powered transports such as the Embraer C-390.

To date, propulsion has remained one of the most variable elements of the Y-30 program, according to available information. Early reports emphasized a four-engine turboprop layout, with engines such as the WJ-16, cited at around 3,782 kW, and the higher-power WJ-10, cited in the 5,000 kW class. These power levels could place the Y-30 above the C-130J in aggregate shaft power and closer, in relative terms, to the A-400M, which uses four 11,000 shp-class turboprops. At the same time, alternative studies reportedly examined turbofan propulsion, with a two-engine layout compared to the KC-390, which relies on two V2500-class turbofans and emphasizes higher cruise speed over short-field performance. In that scenario, the WS-20 has been mentioned as a possible engine candidate, though its characteristics are primarily associated with heavier airlifters such as the Y-20.

Therefore, performance figures associated with the Y-30 vary, but several data points seem to recur. Estimates commonly cite a maximum speed between 600 and 700 km/h, placing it faster than older turboprops such as the An-12 but slower than jet-powered transports like the Brazilian C-390 and the Japanese C-2, which cruise above 800 to 900 km/h. Range estimates of 6,000 to 7,000 km, with payload, exceed those typically associated with the C-130J at comparable loads, while logically remaining below strategic transports such as the Y-20. Other figures mentioned include a maximum payload capacity of up to 35 tonnes, a full-load range above 3,000 km, an endurance beyond 12 hours, and a capacity for more than 110 personnel. Short takeoff and landing distances around 800 m have also been cited, aligning with tactical airlift requirements. Materials choices were described as undecided at early stages, though composite structures were repeatedly referenced as part of the design approach. Taken together, these figures outline the expected utility of a modern medium airlifter, while also showing that the Y-30’s published characteristics have not yet fully converged.

The development timeline associated with the Y-30 has shifted repeatedly over the past decade. Early projections around 2014 suggested that full-scale development could begin within two years if approved, with a hypothetical first flight around 2020. Later narratives introduced additional complexity, including references to an intermediate transport sometimes labeled Y-19, positioned between the Y-30 and Y-20 and potentially competing for funding, as well as separate mentions of heavier future projects such as a Y-40. Rumors from 2022 to 2025 increasingly pointed to renewed activity by Shaanxi Aircraft (AVIC) on a medium transport program and to expectations of a first flight within 2025. The appearance of December 16, 2025, flight footage aligns with those expectations, but key questions remain regarding the final configuration, propulsion choice, and the pace at which the aircraft could progress into testing, production, and operational service.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.