The New Chinese Military Transport Aircraft Outperforms the Best Analog in the World from the USA 0 10

China's efforts to modernize its transport aviation fleet are gaining momentum with the emergence of the new military transport aircraft Y-30. The four-engine turboprop aircraft made its first test flight in December 2025. Now, an analysis by scientists from Beihang University shows that this aircraft surpasses the American C-130J Super Hercules in key metrics, including engine power, payload capacity, design, materials, avionics, and flight control software, writes Focus.

According to the analysis by Chinese scientists, the new military transport aircraft Y-30, once development is completed, will easily surpass the C-130J Super Hercules, the best military transport aircraft in the world currently in service.

The C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft played a crucial role last week in an American rescue operation following a plane crash in Iran. Developed in the 1990s, the C-130J Super Hercules is the most advanced variant of the C-130 series, which emerged in the 1950s. It only slightly outperforms the Y-30 in range and has a significant age, allowing for the development of numerous variants for special missions.

Decades of service have allowed the C-130J Super Hercules to evolve into a versatile platform with numerous specialized configurations for various tasks, from search and rescue operations to electronic warfare.

However, Chinese scientists now view the Y-30 not just as a competitor to the American analog but as a platform with significant potential for expansion in various fields of application. The Y-30 is expected to go beyond being a simple analog of the C-130J Super Hercules and gain the potential for a wide range of specialized variants.

The Y-30 aircraft is equipped with four AEP-500 turboprop engines, which, according to Chinese scientists, provide significantly greater power than the Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engines on the C-130J Super Hercules. In terms of payload capacity, the Y-30 can carry about 30 tons of cargo. This is significantly more than its American counterpart, which has a payload capacity of approximately 20 tons.

The Chinese transport aircraft Y-30, as claimed by Chinese scientists, has a more advanced design and utilizes a large amount of composite materials in its production, reducing overall weight while maintaining and even improving structural integrity.

The Y-30's avionics, developed using 2020s technologies, also give the aircraft an advantage over the C-130J Super Hercules, whose main systems were developed in the 1990s.

According to the analysis, once operational, the Y-30 aircraft will significantly enhance the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army Air Force in terms of effective troop and equipment delivery to combat zones.

This aircraft is reportedly capable of taking off and landing on short runways, which may even lack very solid surfaces. This allows the Y-30 to land and take off in narrow mountain valleys as well as on remote islands.

With its large payload capacity and spacious aircraft design, it will be able to transport light tanks, as well as infantry fighting vehicles and missile systems directly to forward positions.