AVIC to put domestic cargo jet in the skies

China's leading aircraft maker is developing a large cargo jet based on the Y-20 military transport plane in an attempt to put an end to foreign dominance in the field.

Designers at the Aviation Industry Corp of China are doing preliminary research on the Y-20F-100, a civilian variant of the Y-20 heavy-lift transport jet developed for the People's Liberation Army, and they will redesign the airframe and cargo loading system, the State-owned defense technology giant said in a statement.

"This project represents our commitment to transferring military technologies to boost civilian sectors and will fill the absence of a domestically developed large cargo plane," the statement said.