Update: New Chinese transport aircraft appears in video footage

The new Chinese turboprop-powered transport aircraft, tentatively designated as the Y-30, could emerge as a replacement for China's Shaanxi Y-9 transport aircraft. (Janes)

Video footage has emerged from China showing a new tactical transport aircraft conducting a test flight over an unidentified location in the country.

The video footage, which originated from Chinese social media on 16 December, appeared to be taken by a casual observer on the ground. The low-resolution footage shows a turboprop engine-powered transport aircraft that appears to resemble a model of a cargo aircraft concept that Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Company displayed at Airshow China 2014, over a decade ago.

Shaanxi displayed the model within Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC's) exhibition space, with the aircraft labelled as the Y-30 and as the “new-type medium transport aircraft”, according to Janes data.

While the recent video footage is too grainy to draw specifics from, the new tactical transport aircraft appears to exhibit some design similarities to the Airbus A400M Atlas and China's domestically developed Xi'an Y-20 Kunpeng transport aircraft. However, the new aircraft appears to be smaller and lighter than the 141 tonne A400M. The Y-20, which is in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), has an estimated maximum take-off weight of 220 tonnes.

For one, the Y-30's rear landing gear comprises only two tandem mainwheels on either side of the airframe. The A400M has three tandem wheels per side to support the aircraft's maximum payload of 37 tonnes, plus a maximum fuel weight of 50 tonnes.