Air Force's operation in Wuhan shows its mobility, capabilities, military official says

The People's Liberation Army Air Force's large-scale airlift operation and dispatching large- and medium-sized transport aircraft to support Wuhan, Hubei province, showed rapid mobility and long-range delivery capabilities, an official with the Central Military Commission said on Monday.

Zhang Tianxiang, an official with the commission's logistics support department, said the Air Force used 12 transport aircraft, including Y-9, IL-76 and Y-20, to carry 1,600 military medics to Wuhan on Feb 13 and 17.

The Y-20 has made 10 flights, the first time that this large strategic airlifter domestically developed in China participated in non-war operation since its first flight in 2013, Zhang said.

The Air Force sent out its first batch of 450 military medics and medical supplies to Wuhan on Jan 24 from Shanghai, Chongqing, and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, by using three IL-76 transport planes.

On Feb 2, eight IL-76 planes carried the second batch of nearly 800 medical staff members to Wuhan from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Lanzhou, Gansu province and Shenyang, Liaoning province.

"The Air Force dispatching large- and medium-sized transport planes systematically and in large scale to perform emergency airlift missions tested the Air Force's capabilities in rapid mobility and long-range delivery," he said.

Zhang said the PLA has sent military medical support to Hubei by air, railway and road.

On Feb 2, 13 and 17, the PLA sent a total number of more than 1,200 military medics and over 100 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan from 22 railway stations across the country by high-speed trains.