China has been the backdrop for a rare aviation moment in the past few days, with the world’s three core strategic heavy-lifting aircraft operating within the country.
Several large US military transport aircraft were spotted landing in Shenzhen over the weekend, widely seen as preparation for US President Donald Trump’s expected trip to the southern Chinese city for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum next week.
And on Monday, a Russian-made, Chinese-owned Il-76 transport plane made a rare public appearance at a firefighting drill in the southwestern city of Chongqing. The third aircraft is China’s own Y-20 Kunpeng, which has been in military service for a decade.
According to footage and images posted on Chinese social media by plane spotters in Shenzhen, a US Air Force C-17 heavy lifter flew low across the city before reportedly touching down at Shenzhen Baoan International Airport on Sunday.