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China's new-generation airborne combat vehicles unveiled, 'to make paratroopers armored forces with Y-20 aircraft airdrop'

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun, Fan Wei and Liang Rui Published: Sep 03, 2025 10:28 AM

At the 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, multiple types of airborne equipment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) made their first public appearances, demonstrating Chinese air combat force's strategic capability of moving in the air, landing behind enemy lines, and deployed at crucial moments. Military affairs experts told the Global Times that China's new generation of airborne combat vehicles have developed in concert with the growth of the Chinese military's air combat forces. After being airdropped into the designated combat zone via the Y-20 transport aircraft, the airborne troops who parachuted together can transform from light infantry into armored forces upon landing, building a powerful offensive and defensive force on the frontline or even behind enemy lines.

Newly debuted, these multiple types of airborne equipment were developed systematically, can be transported across long distances via the air and provide heavily armored mobile support. They act as the airborne edges in the PLA's fast response and deep strike operations.

"Airborne combat vehicles are of great significance to airborne troops," military affairs expert Fu Qianshao told the Global Times, adding that in the past, airborne troops were light infantry without heavy equipment support after parachuting. Later, lightweight airborne assault vehicles that could be airdropped using tactical transport aircraft were developed. These vehicles provided a certain degree of mobility for airborne troops, but lacked sufficient protective capabilities. With the large-scale commissioning of the Y-20 large transport aircraft, which has greater load capacity, the new airborne combat vehicles can also be heavily equipped, with enhanced defensive capabilities through the addition of reactive armor, active protection systems among other equipment.

One of the characteristics of the new generation of airborne vehicles is that their protection has been improved. Their active protection systems can cope with enemy anti-armor weapons and small unmanned aerial vehicles, " military expert Zhang Xuefeng told Global Times. He said that although the new airborne vehicles are small in size, they are well equipped. They are using the same defensive equipment found on the new main battle tank, which significantly improve their battlefield survivability when carrying out strike missions in enemy areas.

The Global Times noted that the new airborne combat vehicles are equipped with multiple photoelectric sensing systems and remote weapon stations, indicating that they have improved levels of informatization and automatization.

"In addition to protective capabilities, compared to previous airborne equipment, the new airborne vehicles have achieved significant improvements in informatization, firepower units, and mobility," Zhang said. For example, it can be seen that the new airborne vehicle is equipped with a gimbal observation and aiming system, which can significantly improve the accuracy of the vehicle's fire control, especially the accuracy of the vehicle's fire strikes on the move, he said.

"Another characteristic of the new airborne combat vehicle series is that the vehicles are designed in a modularized manner," Fu said, noting that while the three types of airborne vehicles serve different purposes, they share the same vehicle body design, allowing them to form a complete strike system.

After parachuting to the designated location, paratroopers can rely on the new types of airborne vehicles with rich functions and strengths to build a relatively powerful armored attack and defense force, ensuring the combat needs in combat environments with little or no external support, "said Fu.