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China's engine-upgraded Y-20B transport aircraft, new special mission aircraft make debut; experts highlight support aircraft' roles as power amplifiers

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun, Fan Wei and Liang Rui Published: Sep 03, 2025 01:27 PM

Aerial echelons composed of aircraft for early warning, reconnaissance, long-range strike, air superiority, strategic delivery, and support missions systematically demonstrated the rapidly improving air combat capabilities of the Chinese military at China's V-Day military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

With many new aircraft making their debut and some upgraded warplanes demonstrating the ability to systematize air operations, military affairs experts told the Global Times that some of them play roles of power amplifiers in air combat.

The early warning and command aircraft echelons consisted of the KJ-500A early warning aircraft and the J-16 fighter jet, as well as the KJ-600 carrier-based early warning aircraft and the J-15T carrier-based fighter jet.

Military affairs expert Fu Qianshao told the Global Times that the KJ-500A early warning aircraft is developed based on a tactical transport aircraft platform, but it has strategic-level early warning capabilities. The KJ-500A's radar is densely packed with transmit and receive units, features high transmission power, and offers long detection ranges, making it a crucial node in integrated combat operations. Through aerial refueling, the KJ-500A's range and endurance can be further extended, Fu said.

Meanwhile, the KJ-600 made its debut, and its official commissioning means that China's aircraft carrier groups now officially have fixed-wing early warning aircraft. With the development and commissioning of domestically produced new early warning aircraft, the Chinese military's command and control, early warning detection, and coordinated strike capabilities have significantly improved.

The Y-9 anti-submarine patrol aircraft, electronic reconnaissance aircraft and radar jamming aircraft were organized into three echelons under the escort of J-16 fighter jets and made their parade debut. The commissioning of these types of special mission aircraft can significantly enhance the Chinese military's capabilities in sea and air reconnaissance, patrol and surveillance, and electromagnetic suppression.

The transport aircraft echelons were composed of the Y-20A and Y-20B, as they flew in a combat posture. The new multi-purpose transport aircraft Y-20B unveiled this time is equipped with new domestically produced engines, giving the Y-20B the characteristics of long range, heavy load capacity, and fast speed. The Y-20 series transport aircraft has carried out multiple major missions at home and abroad and has the capability of long-range strategic delivery.

The bomber echelons consisted of H-6N strategic bombers, as well as H-6K and H-6J bombers. The H-6 series bombers have the ability to launch long-range attacks, conduct long-distance cruising and conduct standoff strikes, making them the Chinese military's air-based long-range strike force.

The original H-6 is a subsonic medium-range bomber developed by China in the 1960s based on the Soviet Tu-16 bomber. Building upon the H-6, China started to independently develop the new medium-to-long-range bomber H-6K in 2005, which primarily undertakes long-range precision strikes against deep land and sea targets and close air support missions. The H-6K features significantly enhanced platform capabilities, onboard equipment, and engine systems compared to earlier H-6 variants. It boasts characteristics such as heavy payload capacity, extended range, rapid response capability, and high strike precision. The H-6N, meanwhile, is a domestically developed new-generation long-range strategic bomber capable of aerial refueling.

"From medium to long-range bombers to strategic bombers, the strategic significance of the H-6 series aircraft has been steadily increasing," military affairs expert Zhang Xuefeng told the Global Times, adding that as an airborne platform, the H-6 series maintains low operational costs while continuously improving survivability and electronic capabilities. Simultaneously, the range of its large air-to-ground munitions is extending further, enabling H-6 series bombers to launch missiles beyond the intercept range of enemy fighters. "As we can see, the H-6 platform's performance is highly mature, allowing China to continuously expand its strike payload capabilities. This increases its strategic importance significantly," he said.

At the parade, the refueling echelons consisted of three YU-20A tanker aircraft, which posed to provide in-flight refueling for H-6N, J-16, and J-20 aircraft. The rapid commissioning of domestically produced large tanker aircraft supports Chinese warplanes to fly farther and farther.

"The YU-20A was developed from the Y-20 and has the advantage of a large fuel capacity. It can refuel tactical aircraft such as the J-20 and J-16, as well as strategic level aircraft such as the KJ-500A and H-6N. Because of this, special mission aircraft such as early warning aircraft and tanker aircraft are known as amplifiers in air combat," Fu said.

The fighter echelons consisted of two wedge-shaped formations, one composed of the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft, J-20 stealth fighter jet and J-35A stealth fighter jet, while the other composed of the J-20S two-seat stealth fighter jet and J-20A stealth fighter jet. It was the first time the J-20S and the J-20A made their debut.

In the carrier-borne aircraft echelons, two wedge-shaped formations consisting of the J-15DH and J-15DT electronic warfare aircraft, J-35 stealth fighter jet, and J-15T heavy fighter jet were observed. From ski jump to catapult launch, from a single aircraft type to multi-type aircraft coordination, China's carrier-borne aircraft have made great strides in development.

The "DH" in the name of J-15DH denotes a ski-jump variant of the J-15 electronic warfare aircraft, while the "DT" in the name of J-15DT signifies a catapult-launched variant of the J-15 electronic warfare aircraft, Zhang explained. "Leveraging the J-15 platform's extensive adaptability and robust payload capacity, the J-15 variants, following upgrades to avionics, radar, and other systems, can significantly enhance the integrated combat capabilities of aircraft carrier groups," the expert said.