J-20, Y-20, Z-20, why are the most powerful aircraft all called 20? | Great Power Technology Fan

China's "Sky Eye", Shenzhou spacecraft, Mozi "message", high-speed rail, Beidou network, supercomputer "power", large aircraft first flight, domestic aircraft carrier and fifth-generation aircraft... 2012-2022, in the ten years since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have made countless inspiring scientific and technological achievements. China's dream of "catching up with the world" has achieved a historic leap.

As the People's Republic of China celebrates its 73rd birthday, the Digital Beijing Science Center has compiled for our audience the remarkable scientific and technological advances since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and grandly launched a series of special pictures and texts titled "Science and Technology of a Great Power - Ten Years of Great Changes and Technological Take-off", reviewing with everyone the scientific and technological achievements made by our great motherland under the leadership of the Party in the past decade.

Review expert: Zhao Liangyu, Associate Professor of Flight Control Department, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing Institute of Technology In 1949, at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese People's Air Force, which was under construction, flew 26 "Wan Guo" fighters over Tiananmen Square. After 70 years of hard work, at the military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2019, 168 fighters of various models of the Chinese Air Force were divided into 12 echelons and were reviewed by the Party and the people.

The level of fighter jets has always been an important criterion for measuring a country's comprehensive national strength, and the air force is the backbone of national defense. 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. China's most advanced J-20 stealth fighter jets soaring in the blue sky have further enhanced the country's confidence and national pride.

J-5 (left) and J-20 (right)

Source: Xinhua News Agency, Aviation Industry Corporation of China

China's aviation industry has gone from arduous pioneering and difficult imitation to today's fruitful achievements, which is the result of generations of scientific researchers. Entering the 21st century, the aviation people of the new era have made great progress. A series of new models such as the Y-20, J-20, and Z-20 have been successfully developed, and the H-20 is about to be launched. They are collectively called the "20 era", representing China's most advanced aircraft level and an important force in protecting our country's airspace.

"Weilong" rides the wind for 90,000 miles

Once unveiled, the J-20 has become the pride of the Chinese people! Its chief designer Yang Wei said: "The J-20 can detect the enemy first, launch first, and kill first. Now we are developing our own stealth fighter, leading the development of technology, and achieving the goal of strengthening the military. In the future, we will continue to move forward on the journey of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization of fighter jets."

The J-20 made its first successful flight in 2011. After five years of polishing, it made its stunning debut in a pair of aircraft formations at the 2016 Zhuhai Air Show. It was officially equipped to the Air Force in 2018, code-named "Mighty Dragon".

J-20 opens its ammunition bay during flight at the 2018 Zhuhai Air Show

Source: Aviation Industry WeChat Official Account

The J-20 belongs to the fourth generation (fifth generation abroad) fighter jets. It is a medium- and long-range, heavy stealth fighter independently developed by China. Compared with the previous generation of fighter jets, its most notable feature is its stealth and beyond-visual-range combat capabilities. It has excellent medium- and long-range air combat capabilities and good precision strike capabilities against land and sea. Its stealth skills are even more outstanding, allowing the J-20 to "come and go without a trace", catching the enemy off guard!

J-20 performs flight demonstration at the 2022 Air Force Aviation Open Day and Changchun Air Show

Source: Xinhuanet

As the sharp edge of the air force, what everyone is most concerned about is the heart of the fighter - the engine . When the J-20 was first unveiled, it adopted a Russian engine (model is the Russian-made AL-31F-M1) due to various considerations. But the disadvantages of using foreign engines are obvious, that is, the overall performance of the fighter is subject to the performance of foreign engines. Finally, the official announced the good news this year. The J-20 uses the "Chinese heart", which means that it has become completely "made in China", and its comprehensive combat performance will be further improved.

Photo of the Y-20, J-20 and J-16 in the same frame Source: Xinhuanet

“Kunpeng” flaps its wings to fly far

Transport aircraft are also an indispensable type of aircraft. They are important equipment for a country to face emergencies, disaster prevention and relief, and support national construction. Large transport aircraft can not only transport soldiers and various equipment quickly and over long distances on a large scale, but also serve as a modification platform for reconnaissance aircraft, early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft, jammers and other aircraft. For example, the Y-20 is China's new generation of aerial refueling aircraft.

Chinese Air Force Y-20 and crew Source: Xinhua News Agency

The Y-20 is China's first independently developed large-scale military transport aircraft , with a maximum load capacity of 60 tons. Such a large belly has given it a friendly nickname - Fat Girl. Its wide belly is up to 4 meters high, with a straight-through cargo hold that can be equipped with a double-deck module to achieve the purpose of separate loading of people and cargo, ensuring safety and comfort. The cargo hold door adopts a 4-leaf plus built-in airtight tail door design.

When opening the hatch, the tail doors on both sides open downwards, the upper tail door is lifted up and retracted into the tail, and the lower tail door is laid flat downwards; after all four doors reach the predetermined position and are locked, the cabin's airtight door is opened and the entire cargo hold can be seen.

Y-20 loaded with 04A infantry fighting vehicle

Source: News Photo

On February 13, 2020, several Y-20s arrived at Wuhan Tianhe Airport at the same time. This was the first time it carried out a large-scale non-war military operation transport mission after being put into service, and it immediately attracted countless fans!

On September 14 this year, the Y-20 aircraft carried out the mission of going to South Korea to welcome the ninth batch of remains of volunteer army martyrs back to China, and was escorted by two J-20 fighter jets. This is also the first time that the two "20 era" fighters have appeared in the same frame!

Y-20 goes to South Korea to welcome the ninth batch of remains of volunteer soldiers

Source: News Photo

In fact, the Y-20 also used four Russian engines in the early days, but with the unremitting efforts of Chinese aviation personnel, this year we finally received the good news that the Y-20 will be replaced with domestically produced large bypass ratio turbofan engines !

Comparison of the Y-20 engine before and after Source: News Photo

"Divine Eagle" enters the mountains and seas with agility

Many people may think that helicopters do not occupy a core position in combat like fighter jets, and their appearance rate is not that high in normal times, but in fact, helicopters are also an important part of air combat forces.

Helicopters can be divided into two categories according to their mission types: armed helicopters and transport helicopters . Armed helicopters can be equipped with weapons such as missiles, rockets or machine guns. With their flexible response, good maneuverability and ability to fly low, they can work well with the army and navy. Transport helicopters are mainly used to transport supplies and soldiers.

Source: Xinhuanet

The Z-20, code-named "Shen Diao" , is a tactical general-purpose helicopter independently developed by China. It can perform a variety of military or civilian tasks under complex weather conditions such as day and night, freezing rain, and ice. It made its first successful flight in 2013. Such as airdrop operations, air delivery, fire assault, emergency rescue and logistics support. In combat missions, the Z-20 can quickly deliver military forces to designated areas and form assault combat capabilities. In naval operations, it can cooperate with amphibious forces or ships to deal with national defense issues such as island reef conflicts.

Z-20 equipped with anti-tank missiles Source: Xinhuanet

In the civilian field, the Z-20 has also played a huge role. In July 2021, Henan Province suffered extremely heavy rainfall, which threatened the lives and property of a large number of people. Three Z-20 helicopters belonging to an air assault brigade of the 83rd Group Army of the Central Theater Command performed tasks such as aerial reconnaissance, mass rescue, and airdropping of relief supplies.

On July 24, 2021, soldiers from a brigade of the 83rd Army Group of the People's Liberation Army carried out pre-flight preparations for the Z-20 helicopter.

Source: Xinhuanet

From July 22 to 25, 2021, the Z-20 flew a total of 70 sorties, accurately delivered more than 75 tons of various daily necessities, covered 17 villages in the mission area, and rescued more than 20,000 people affected by the disaster.

From the "Wan Guo" aircraft at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China to the hundreds of aircraft of various models flying over Tiananmen Square in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the passionate military parade is like the development history of the Chinese Air Force; it is also the growth process of generations of aviation personnel under the leadership of the Party, from nothing to something, from weak to strong.

Today, the Chinese Air Force has developed into a strategic service that is "integrated in air and space, and capable of both offense and defense." China's aviation industry will continue to forge ahead and provide strong support for realizing the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military.