Chinese Air Force to Use Domestically Powered Y-20B Transport Aircraft for Cadets for First Time

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) announced it will deploy the Y-20B strategic transport aircraft—equipped with domestically produced engines—to airlift newly admitted flight cadets to the PLA Air Force Aviation University on July 31 and August 1, 2026. This marks the fifth consecutive year the PLAAF has used Y-20 aircraft to transport recruits. Official recruitment data for 2026 shows record-high average national college entrance examination (Gaokao) scores among admitted cadets, alongside the integration of big data and artificial intelligence to assist candidate selection.

Deploying the Y-20B, which features domestically developed engines, to transport new aviation cadets highlights the alignment between China's indigenous military aviation technology and its personnel development. Using major strategic airlifters to transport recruits serves both as a symbolic honor ceremony and an immersive educational initiative aimed at boosting morale and public engagement in national defense recruitment.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) announced that it will use its Y-20B strategic transport aircraft for the first time to deliver newly admitted flight cadets to the PLA Air Force Aviation University on July 31 and August 1, according to official reports from PLA Daily and Global Times. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the air force has dispatched Y-20 transports to airlift incoming recruits. Departures are scheduled from six designated boarding points: Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Nanjing, Changsha, and Chengdu. According to official state and military media reports, the Y-20B variant participating in this year's mission is equipped with domestically produced engines. The air force framed the deployment as a symbolic representation of parallel progress in defense hardware development and military aviation talent cultivation. In addition to the cadets, the PLAAF invited more than 100 cadet parents to join the flights and visit the aviation university, giving families an opportunity to observe student living quarters, training facilities, and educational environments firsthand. Officials from the PLAAF Pilot Recruitment Bureau reported that the overall quality of accepted flight recruits for 2026 has shown steady improvement. Applications covered nearly all prefecture-level administrative divisions across 31 provincial-level regions nationwide. The average score on the national college entrance examination (Gaokao) among admitted candidates reached an all-time high. Demographic breakdowns released by the bureau show that candidates from county-level high schools accounted for 46 percent of the accepted cohort, while 82 cadets representing 15 ethnic minority groups earned admission. The 2026 selection process also integrated modern technology, deploying big data and artificial intelligence tools to assist in physical fitness, psychological quality, and flight potential evaluations. According to the recruitment bureau, the introduction of AI-assisted systems helped assessors shift from single-capability testing toward comprehensive capability "portraits," enhancing both the precision and scientific objectivity of the selection process. Military authorities noted that these recruit quality enhancements are intended to provide foundational support for strengthening the air force's pilot corps ahead of key military development milestones.