Sky's no limit

YJ-17 hypersonic strike missile

Compared with the baseline model in the Y-20 family, the Y-20B cargo jet's most distinctive trait is its new propulsion system, which appears to consist of four domestically designed high-bypass turbofan engines.

The Y-20's baseline configuration made its maiden flight in January 2013, with deliveries to the Air Force from July 2016. It uses four Russian engines as powerplants.

Wang Yanan said that the new domestically built engine has stronger thrust and lower fuel consumption, which means the Y-20B is now able to fly farther and carry more cargo.

Consequently, the new transport aircraft allows the PLA to deploy and sustain its forces over much greater distances, as befitting a true global power, he added.

YJ-19 hypersonic strike missile

On the ground, multiple new types of combat drones were carried by truck in the parade, pointing to the possibility that the Air Force may place more duties on unmanned aircraft.

Wu Peixin, an aviation industry observer, said that it has been a common trend among air powers to integrate their stealth fighters with uncrewed platforms.

"A stealth jet is very expensive and sophisticated, while a drone is much cheaper and is expendable," Wu said. "In air combat, pilots of stealth jets can operate and guide a group of strike drones to launch missiles toward targets and even hit the targets by themselves, without risking the safety of the pilots and their jets.

"Those unmanned planes will also be able to detect the signals of enemy assets and then autonomously chart out a route to penetrate their defenses and take out the targets," he said.

The use of this new pattern has the potential to revolutionize air combat in the future, he added.