The Shaanxi Y-8 or Yunshuji-8 () aircraft is a medium size medium range transport aircraft produced by
Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, based on the Soviet
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
. It has become one of China's most popular military and civilian transport/cargo aircraft, with many variants produced and exported. Although the An-12 is no longer made in Ukraine, the Chinese Y-8 continues to be upgraded and produced. An estimated 169 Y-8 aircraft had been built by 2010.
Design and development
Imported An-12
In the 1960s, China purchased several An-12 aircraft from the Soviet Union, along with license to assemble the aircraft locally. However, due to the
Sino-Soviet split
The Sino-Soviet split was the breaking of political relations between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union caused by doctrinal divergences that arose from their different interpretations and practical applications of Marxism–Len ...
, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical assistance. The
Xi'an Aircraft Company and Xi'an Aircraft Design Institute worked to
reverse engineer
Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...
the An-12 for local production.
Domestic
Design of the aircraft was completed by February 1972. Major features of the Y-8 included a glazed nose and tail turret derived from that of the
H-6 bomber,
a roller-type palletized-cargo-handling device instead of the overhead conveyor, and a gaseous oxygen system as opposed to a liquid oxygen system. The original Y-8 inherited the An-12's twin 23mm cannon tail turret, but this was removed on subsequent variants.
The Y-8 equipped with four
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engines mounted under the leading edges of non-swept wings. The wings are attached high on the fuselage, and the tricycle landing gear is equipped with low pressure tires. The earliest versions used for the transportation of freight or troops had two side-hinged, inward-opening doors, while later variants used a rearward-facing ramp to facilitate loading and unloading of the payload. Some specialized versions omit the cargo ramp entirely.
The Y-8 is capable of carrying troops, dropping supplies, parachute drops, and functioning as an air ambulance. It also can be used for commercial uses as a freighter. It is capable of hauling 20 tons of cargo, approximately 96 soldiers, or about 82 paratroopers in the cargo compartment which is 13.5 metres long, 3 metres wide and 2.4 metres high.
It can also carry 60 severely wounded soldiers with their stretchers, 20 slightly injured soldiers and 3 medical attendants.
Many variants for specialized roles have been built, but information on them can be vague or difficult to obtain due to the secretive nature of the Chinese military.
Another first flight
The Y-8 transport aircraft was put into trial production in the Xi'an Aircraft Factory in June 1972. By December 1974, the first Chinese-assembled Y-8 conducted its maiden flight. Following trial production of the first Y-8s, operations were transferred to the Shaanxi Aircraft Factory. The Shaanxi-produced Y-8s conducted their test flights in December 1975. After a regime of 66 test flights the Y-8 was officially certified for use by the Chinese government. By 1981, the Y-8 entered serial production.
Mr. Ouyang Shaoxiu (欧阳绍修) would eventually become the general designer, designing many variants of Y-8, including
KJ-200
The KJ-200 (Chinese: 空警-200; pinyin: Kōngjǐng Liǎngbǎi; literally: "Airwarn-200") NATO reporting name: Moth or Y-8 Balance Beam system, is an Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. ...
.
Modification
In the early 1980s, Chinese officials saw US Army recruiting advertisements featuring parachute extraction of an Army jeep along with troops. The PLA was told to develop this kind of capability. But there were two design problems. One, Y-8 wings have very sharp leading edges, so one wing tends to stall before the other, causing the aircraft to roll inverted as it stalls. The second design flaw as that the cargo deck of the Y-8 had a 10 degree downward slope starting at the landing gear.
When the PLA Air Force started to test parachute extraction, these two design flaws caused a near disaster. The aircraft was flying too fast, and when the parachute started to extract cargo from the hold, the cargo rolled on the deck until it got to the 10 degree downward slope, and there it became airborne while still inside the aircraft. The cargo hit the top of the cargo door on the way out, making it clear that the Y-8 could not do parachute cargo extraction.
In 1986, two engineers from Beijing's Ministry of Aviation visited Lockheed. They could not speak very much English, and the Lockheed-Georgia sales person who met them could not speak Chinese. So for half a day, they did a point-and-grunt tour until they were lucky enough to find a Lockheed employee who could speak Chinese. The Chinese wanted to purchase Lockheed wind tunnel testing on the Y-8 in order to address the stall problem.
As a result of these wind tunnel tests, conducted in 1986, Lockheed was given a contract to do a flight test series on the Y-8. Lockheed was told that flight test data was not provided by the Soviets when they helped China build the Y-8 factory. The flight test series was flown by Lockheed test pilot Hank Dees. Hank had flown the test flight series for the Lockheed L-1011 and later for China's Y-12 in Harbin.
During this flight test series, Hank Dees flew the aircraft to stall speed and taught Chinese pilots how to anticipate a stall in order to prevent letting the aircraft go inverted. As a result of this test flight series, Chinese pilots started to use the 45 degree flap position.
Lockheed's motive for doing flight tests was to demonstrate that China would be better off buying the C-130 rather than trying to improve the Y-8. China did buy C-130s, but the flight test series actually demonstrated that the Y-8 was a more capable aircraft than previously believed.
In the late 1980s,
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
, the American manufacturer of the
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
, helped China to develop a pressurized cabin for the passenger version of Y-8, resulting in two versions: the first had half of the cabin pressurized and later, the second version in which the complete cabin was pressurized.
In 2001 and 2002, new consulting arrangements between
Antonov
Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни ...
and Shaanxi resulted in modernized redesigns to the Y-8's wing and fuselage. As a consequence the redesign allows the Y-8's fuel capacity to be increased by 50 percent.
Operational history
Y-8s have been used by the PLAAF and PLANAF in a wide variety of roles and some have been supplied to civilian operators. Export aircraft have been supplied to the Myanmar Republic air force, Sudanese Air Force and the Sri Lankan Air Force. Some Y-8 aircraft were used by the
Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...
as makeshift bombers, dropping bombs from the rear doors, during the country's civil war, losing two units, one to
Tamil Tiger
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
anti-aircraft defences and the second to mechanical failure.
![Shaanxi Y-8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Shaanxi_Y-8.jpg)
In Chinese National Day military parade 2009, the Air Force
KJ-200
The KJ-200 (Chinese: 空警-200; pinyin: Kōngjǐng Liǎngbǎi; literally: "Airwarn-200") NATO reporting name: Moth or Y-8 Balance Beam system, is an Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. ...
took the role as a lead plane.
It had been exported to other countries around the world including Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Venezuela, and possibly others.
Variants
* Y-8: The baseline unpressurized transport aircraft produced primarily for transport duties with the PLAAF.
[Gordon, Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. Chinese Aircraft. Hikoki Publications. Manchester. 2008. ]
* Y-8A: Helicopter transport aircraft with rear loading ramp, travelling gantry removed and a hydraulically operated steady under the rear door.
* Y-8AF: ASW platform under tests, with extended magnetic anomaly detector at the tail, the latest military version, looks similar to Y-8 Mineral research plane.
* Y-8B: Unpressurised freight/passenger transport aircraft for
CAAC
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible fo ...
.
* Y-8C: Fully pressurised transport version with the rear cargo ramp of the Y-8B.
* Y-8CA: (a.k.a. 'High New 1') Electronic Countermeasures aircraft with extensive arrays of aerials and a ventral canoe.
* Y-8CB: ECM variant, characterized by a sharp pointed nose cone.
* Y-8D: Export military transport fitted with western avionics. The initial Y-8D was superseded by the Y-8DII.
* Y-8DZ: (Dianzi Zhencha 电子侦察 - ELINT)(a.k.a.'High New 2') Electronic signals intelligence version characterized by the cylindrical array just in front of the
vertical stabilizer
A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
.
* Y-8E: Drone carrier aircraft for launching
WZ-5 Chang Hong-1
The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever built.
Development
Ryan Fireb ...
(''Chang Hong'' 长虹 - long rainbow) reconnaissance drones, reverse-engineered
Ryan Firebee
The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever built.
Development
Ryan Fireb ...
s, to replace
Tu-4
The Tupolev Tu-4 (russian: Туполев Ту-4; NATO reporting name: Bull) is a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid-1960s. It was reverse-engineered from the American Boeing B-29 ...
Drone launchers..
* Y-8F: Livestock transport aircraft with three tiers of cages either side of a central aisle, able to accommodate 350 sheep or goats. The livestock transport was developed to allow access to remote seasonal pastures.
* Y-8FQ:
Maritime Patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.
Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
variant with modified tail housing a boom-mounted
magnetic anomaly detector
A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material crea ...
to detect submarines.
* Y-8F-100: Fitted with more powerful engines, EFIS, colour weather radar, TCAS and GPS.
* Y-8F-200: This model has a 2.2m (7 ft 10in) stretched fuselage. Capacity: 23 tons.
* Y-8F-200WA: Exported to Kazakhstan
* Y-8F-300: Civil transport with western avionics. Capacity: 23 tons.
* Y-8F-400: As for Y-8F-300 but with pressurised cargo hold. Capacity: 23 tons.
* Y-8F-600: Newest civilian transport variant with a redesigned fuselage,
Pratt and Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...
turboprop engines, an
Electronic Flight Instrument System "glass cockpit", and a two-person crew. Capacity: 25 tons.
Cancelled in 2008 and developed into the
Y-9.
![PLANAF-GX4-02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/PLANAF-GX4-02.jpg)
* Y-8GX1: (''Gaoxin'' 高新 - high-tech); Electronic Warfare (VHF/UHF Tactical Jamming).
* Y-8GX3: Airborne Command Post and ECM version a.k.a. 'High New 3' based on the Y-8F-200.
* Y-8GX4: ELINT platform (project).
* Y-8GX7: Electronic attack (radio propaganda/psyops). At least 3 known to be in service stationed in Fujian.
* Y-8G: IFR tanker. (project).
Also identified as the Y-8GX3.
* Y-8H: Aerial survey aircraft.
* Y-8J: AWACS aircraft with
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
GEC-Marconi Argus-2000 (RACAL Skymaster) L-band pulse-doppler search radar in a large nose radome, with work stations for the operators in the cargo hold. Reputedly fully pressurised but lacking the cargo ramp associated with pressurised cargo holds.
* Y-8J: AEW aircraft with Sky Master radar.
* Y-8JB: ELINT variant.
Also identified as Y-8GX2.
* Y-8JY: Medevac aircraft.
* Y-8K: 121-seat airliner.
* Y-8Q: ASW variant, surface search radar, FLIR, internal bomb bay, SATCOM, and tail MAD.
Also identified in one source as Y-8GX6.
* Y-8T: C3I command post and battlefield surveillance aircraft based on the Y-8F-400. Some sources claim it is an ECM aircraft.
Also identified as the Y-8GX4.
* Y-8U: Experimental aircraft equipped with British Mk 32 aerial refueling pods for the development of Chinese aerial refueling technology.
* Y-8W: An AWACS version of the
KJ-200
The KJ-200 (Chinese: 空警-200; pinyin: Kōngjǐng Liǎngbǎi; literally: "Airwarn-200") NATO reporting name: Moth or Y-8 Balance Beam system, is an Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. ...
with 'Balance Beam phased array radar mounted above the fuselage.
Also identified as ''Y-8GX5'' or ''Y-8WH''.
* Y-8X: (''Xun'' 巡 - surveillance) Maritime Patrol Aircraft with western avionics, radar, mission systems and defensive aids. Some aircraft have been known to carry ELINT packages. Equipped with
Litton Canada AN/APS-504(V) search
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
for maritime surveillance missions. This version is characterized by a larger cylindrical radar
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and ...
under the nose similar to that on
H-6 bomber.
* Y-8XZ: a psychological warfare aircraft for broadcasting TV and radio propaganda.
Also identified as the Y-8GX7.
* Y-8
AWACS: Characterized by the large Rotodome strut supported over the rear fuselage and the triple tail configuration with large trapezoidal auxiliary fins at the tips of the tailplane, similar to the
Beriev A-50
The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) is a Soviet airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport. Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss", the A-50 first flew in 1978. Its existence wa ...
.
* Y-8
AWACS: Another AWACS version was studied at Shaanxi with large radomes at nose and tail in similar fashion to the abortive AEW Nimrod.
* Y-8 Geophysical Survey Aircraft: Characterized by the extended
magnetic anomaly detector
A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material crea ...
at the tail, for finding potential mine sites, similar in appearance to an
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
platform and is often mistaken for the latter.
* Y-8 Anti-Submarine Aircraft: New anti-submarine variant revealed in 2012. The anti-submarine variant has a large air-to-surface search radar, a side-looking ISAR radar and a magnetic anomaly detection tube.
* Y-8EW: New EW aircraft.
![Pakistan Air Force Shaanxi ZDK-03 (Y-8) inflight](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Pakistan_Air_Force_Shaanxi_ZDK-03_%28Y-8%29_inflight.jpg)
* Y-8 Gunship: A projected gunship version based on the Y-8C with two heavy cannon and ports for three heavy machine-guns on the port side of the aircraft. Weapons aiming and target acquisition achieved by gyro-stabilised optoelectronic sighting system in a ball turret under the nose. A steerable searchlight would be installed in a pod under the port outer wing, as well as ESM and/or ECM pods as required.
* ZDK-03: A variant designed specifically for export to the
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
, with a total of 4 ordered. Consists of a Chinese
AESA
Aesa or Aisa ( grc, Αἶσα) was a town of ancient Macedonia. Aesa belonged to the Delian League since it appears on a tribute list to Athens in 434/3 BCE. The editors of the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World identify Aesa wi ...
radar mounted on the Y-8F600 platform. The radar is reported to have a greater range than that of the PAF's
Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C radar and the aircraft incorporates open architecture electronics to make future upgrades easier to implement. Delivery of the first aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force was expected by the end of 2010.
The first aircraft was reported to have been delivered on Oct 12, 2011 and the fourth and last aircraft delivered on Feb 26, 2015.
* ZDK-06: An export-oriented
airborne warning and control system
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
featuring the JY-06
active electronically scanned array
An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...
and
Pulse-Doppler radar
A pulse-Doppler radar is a radar system that determines the range to a target using pulse-timing techniques, and uses the Doppler effect of the returned signal to determine the target object's velocity. It combines the features of pulse radars an ...
.
*
KJ-200
The KJ-200 (Chinese: 空警-200; pinyin: Kōngjǐng Liǎngbǎi; literally: "Airwarn-200") NATO reporting name: Moth or Y-8 Balance Beam system, is an Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation. ...
: Airborne early warning & control aircraft based on the Y-8F-600.
Operators
;
*
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
*
People's Liberation Army Ground Force
The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chine ...
*
People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF; ) is the naval aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Overview
Historically, the PLANAF's main role has been to provide the navy's warships with air defense coverage. Part of ...
;
*
National Guard of Kazakhstan
''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ūlttyq ūlany''russian: Национальная гвардия Казахстана
, image = Flag of Kazakhstan National Guard.svg
, image_size = 300px
, caption ...
;
*
Myanmar Air Force
The Myanmar Air Force ( my, တပ်မတော် (လေ), ), known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception ha ...
;
*
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
;
*
Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...
;
*
Sudanese Air Force
;
*
Tanzanian Air Force
The Tanzania Air Force Command ( sw, Kamandi ya Jeshi la Anga) is the aerial service branch of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF). The current commander of the Tanzania Air Force Command is Major General SB MANI
, who replaced major gen ...
;
*
Venezuelan Air Force
, colours = Bleu celeste
, colours_label =
, march = , "Hymn of the National Military Aviation"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 December (Air Force Day)
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles =
, decorations =
, battle_honou ...
Accidents and notable incidents
Specifications (Y-8)
See also
References
External links
Chinese Navy future Maritime Patrol Aircraft Y-8FQ Cub has started its flight test campaignAntonov An-12 and Shaanxi Y-8 at airliners.net- specifications, and photo galleries of exterior and interior
- describes 'next generation' Y-8
New PLA Transport Aircraft: Building for Power Projection- article at strategycenter.net
Y-8 Tactical Transport- informative summary of Y-8 transport variants at sinodefence.com
Chinese Special Mission Aircraft- includes links to various Y-8 special mission variants
KongJing-200 Airborne Early Warning & Control AircraftShaanxi AEW Aircraft Crashed During Test*
ttp://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Shaanxi%20Y-8&aircraftsearch= Shaanxi Y-8 photo gallerya
airliners.netZDK-03 AWACS Pictures- ZDK-03 'Karakoram Eagle' AWACS for PAF
{{Chinese Military Aircraft
China–Soviet Union relations
1960s Chinese military transport aircraft
Y-8
Four-engined tractor aircraft
Four-engined turboprop aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1974