Production In 2014, a report from the
People's Liberation Army's
National Defence University stated that the PRC's civil and military transport needed 400 Y-20s. After incorporating the Y-20 into the PLAAF service, analysts noted Y-20 had an extremely quick production rate, with a large amount of production aircraft spotted inside the PLAAF testing base. By 2023, PLAAF was equipped with 67 Y-20 aircraft. According to a 2023 assessment by
Aviation Week, the Y-20 was scheduled to replace Russian airframes, including the
Ilyushin Il-76 and H-6U tanker variants. Analyst Matt Jouppi suggested
airborne early warning and control was likely under development and that by 2032 China would likely have 75 YY-20 tankers and more than 100 Y-20 transport planes. On 8 May 2018, it was announced by
PLAAF's military media that Y-20 had recently conducted its first joint airdrop training operations with the
PLAAF airborne troops. to transport the
Sinopharm BIBP vaccine to Cambodia in February 2021 On 13 February 2020, the Y-20 was part of a fleet that delivered supplies and personnel to Wuhan. The operation was part of an effort to mitigate what became the
COVID-19 pandemic. A fleet of 11 aircraft delivered 2,600 military medical staff to Wuhan. The PLAAF fleet of 11 aircraft consists of 6 Y-20s, 3 Il-76s, and 2 Y-9s transport aircraft. This is Y-20's first civilian mission, signaling the increasing military involvement in pandemic response. On 5 June 2021, PLAAF transport aircraft fleet, including Y-20, was observed patrolling the South China Sea, which was accused of intrusion by Malaysia. On 28 November 2021, Y-20U aerial tanker was spotted around the southwest side of the Taiwan island among 27 military aircraft. This is the first observation of Y-20U outside inland China. On 9 April 2022, six Y-20 aircraft landed at
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport in Serbia, reportedly delivering a shipment of
FK-3 surface-to-air missile systems. On 28 June 2022, six Y-20 arrived in
Afghanistan to deliver 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid in response to
June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake. On 1 August 2022, Senior Colonel and PLAAF spokesperson, Shen Jinke, told a press conference that Y-20 tanker aircraft started combat readiness training. The aircraft is confirmed in PLAAF service The designation was later confirmed as YY-20 at
Zhuhai Airshow 2022. The YY-20 features redesigned landing gear sponsons with sharper front and back ends, which reduces air turbulence. In September 2022, Chinese released footage of Y-20 tankers providing aerial refueling to
Chengdu J-20 fighters. In early September 2022, Y-20 was present at the Airpower 22 airshow in Austria. This was the first time that the Y-20 was present at an airshow in Western Europe. In December 2024, re-engined Y-20Bs were spotted inside PLAAF facilities, suggesting they entered service. == Variants ==