Footage of the aircraft airborne circulated online on December 16, confirming long-running speculation about the program’s status. While the PLAAF has not issued an official statement, the imagery is being treated as confirmation of a first flight.

The Y-30 has been under conceptual development for more than a decade and is intended to succeed the Y-8/Y-9 family, which is itself derived from the Soviet-era An-12 design.

Maiden Flight Confirmed

Low-resolution video footage emerging on December 16, 2025, showed a previously unseen four-engine turboprop transport aircraft conducting what is assessed as its maiden flight.

The aircraft is widely identified in current reporting and social media discussion as the Y-30 (运-30), marking the first confirmed appearance of the type in flight.

The footage is believed to originate from the Xi’an area, a longstanding center of Chinese military transport aircraft development.

While enhanced and AI-upscaled versions of the video circulated later, the original imagery was sufficient to confirm key configuration details consistent with earlier conceptual material.

Design and Intended Role

The Y-30 features a high-mounted wing, T-tail, rear loading ramp, and four turboprop engines, placing it firmly in the medium military transport category.

Notable design updates compared with earlier Chinese transports include winglets, which were not present on the Y-8 or Y-9 series and are intended to improve aerodynamic efficiency and range.

In layout and mission profile, the aircraft resembles a scaled-down Airbus A400M Atlas, emphasizing a balance between tactical flexibility and strategic reach.

The design suggests operations from austere or semi-prepared airfields, a key limitation of heavier strategic transports.

Payload, Range, and Fleet Positioning

Although official specifications have not been released, estimates place the Y-30’s payload in the 30–40 ton class, with a projected range of approximately 5,500–7,000 km.

This positions the aircraft between the lighter Y-9 and the heavier Y-20 strategic transport.

By filling this gap, the Y-30 is intended to provide the PLAAF with a more versatile medium airlifter capable of troop transport, logistics, humanitarian missions, and rapid regional deployment without relying solely on either aging designs or high-demand strategic assets.

Long-Running Program Roots

The Y-30 concept was first publicly revealed during Airshow China 2014, held in Zhuhai from November 11–16, 2014, where a model of a next-generation medium transport was displayed.

That early concept already featured a high-wing, four-turboprop configuration, indicating continuity in overall design philosophy.

However, the 2025 prototype reflects incremental evolution rather than a static concept, with refinements such as winglets and a more modern airframe aimed at efficiency, payload optimization, and lifecycle sustainability.

The aircraft is expected to eventually replace large portions of the Y-8/Y-9 fleet, which traces its origins back several decades.