Chinese Y-20 heavy transport aircraft takes flight

CHENGDU, China, July 8 (UPI) -- China's homegrown Y-20 heavy transport aircraft entered service with the People's Liberation Army during its maiden flight Wednesday in the southwestern province of Sichuan, the official Xinhua news agency reports.

The plane has a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tons and can carry cargo and personnel.

Wang Mingzhi, Air Force Command college, was cited by Xinhua as saying the Y-20 represents the first alternative to buying transport planes abroad for the Chinese air force.

Air force test flight bureau head Deng Young was cited by Xinhua as saying the Y-20 is highly responsive and easy to maneuver, featuring more automated systems than older generation aircraft.

Civil aviation flight training patterns and a specialized school for training Y-20 pilots have been established.

The aircraft was designed and manufactured by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China and made its first test flight in January 2013 after five years of development.

The first two Y-20s were delivered to the air force in June, Xinhua reported.

Wang was quoted as saying the freighters will greatly improve the service's rapid nonstop reach capability across theater commands and continents.

"It will help the country actively participate in international cooperation, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian missions," Wang said.

Officials also expects there to be a commercial market for the Y-20 and its variants.