Paratroopers assigned to the airborne troops under the PLA Air Force parachute from a Y-20 transport aircraft during a parachute training exercise in central China's Henan Province on May 8, 2018. (jmhuiquan.com/Photo by Liu Bingbing)

By Liu Xuanzun

After the Chinese military used several Russian-made Il-76 large transport aircraft to send medical teams and supplies to Wuhan, epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, online military enthusiasts said they hope to see China's independently developed aircraft like the Y-20 being used in future missions.

According to a statement released on its WeChat public account by the Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company (XAC) under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, service teams have set out to different locations to provide support and instructions, so that domestically developed aircraft can ready themselves to join the frontline battle against the epidemic.

XAC is known for developing China's first homemade large transport aircraft, the Y-20, which started to be used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in July 2016, according to the company's website.

Netizens who are interested in China's military development said they hope to see Y-20 cargo planes join the anti-virus fight.

To fight the virus outbreak, the PLA Air Force dispatched three transport aircraft to Wuhan on January 24, and eight more arrived on Sunday, sending medical teams and supplies, which were much needed there. Aircraft used in these two missions were imported Il-76s.

The Sunday mission marked the largest number of large transport aircraft deployed in a military operation other than at wartime by the PLA Air Force, following the earthquake relief work in Wenchuan in 2008 and Yushu in 2010, the Air Force said in a Sunday statement.

Several military analysts told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Y-20 is fully capable of carrying out similar missions, as the Il-76 and the Y-20 are of a similar class and the Chinese aircraft is more advanced.

The Y-20 has already been used for a series of training exercises including transport and airdrops, one expert said, noting that if deployed in an actual mission like transporting supplies to epidemic areas, the troops can gain more experience in using it.

Seeing the Y-20, a representation of China's power, in action could bring more confidence to people fighting the virus, netizens said.

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