Overall Quality of Air Force Pilot Recruitment Candidates Steadily Improving; Y-20B to Be Used for the First Time to Transport New Flight Cadets

空军招飞录取考生综合素养稳步提高将首次使用运-20B运送新飞行学员

PLA Daily (解放军报) 31 July 2026

Summary

The Air Force Pilot Recruitment Bureau announced on July 30 that the 2026 intake of flight cadets will be airlifted on July 31–August 1 from six staging cities — Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Nanjing, Changsha, and Chengdu — to the Air Force Aviation University aboard multiple Y-20 aircraft, with the Y-20B (equipped with a domestically produced WS-20 engine) flying the cadet transport mission for the first time; the 2026 cohort spans all 31 provinces and posts the highest average gaokao scores on record. The article documents the Air Force's five-year practice of using the cadet airlift as a showcase for domestic aviation industry progress, and the Y-20B's debut in this role extends that pattern while providing a rare public confirmation that the variant is operationally available in sufficient numbers for a multi-aircraft mission. What remains unknown is how many Y-20B airframes participated versus standard Y-20s.

First public confirmation that the Y-20B variant, fitted with a domestically produced engine, is operational and being used for a named mission, marking the first open-source reporting of the Y-20B conducting a specific tasked flight.

Translation

PLA Daily, Beijing, July 30 — Reported by Guo Qiang and correspondent Li Jianwen: This reporter has learned from the Air Force Pilot Recruitment Bureau that the overall quality (综合素养) of candidates admitted in the 2026 Air Force pilot recruitment cycle has steadily improved. In accordance with the plan, new flight cadets are to be transported in a concentrated effort on July 31 and August 1 to report to the Air Force Aviation University, with the Y-20B being used to carry out this mission for the first time.

According to a responsible official of the Air Force Pilot Recruitment Bureau, enthusiasm among eligible young people nationwide for the 2026 Air Force pilot recruitment examination has continued to run high. Applicants essentially cover all prefecture-level administrative regions, and admitted candidates come from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government). Average college entrance examination (高考) scores have reached an all-time high. Among those admitted, candidates from county-level high schools account for 46 percent, and 82 candidates from 15 ethnic minorities have realized their dream of reaching the sky. This year's Air Force pilot selection work further improved the scientific precision of assessments by introducing means such as big-data artificial intelligence-assisted evaluation. A comprehensive evaluation system encompassing physical fitness, flight potential, and psychological qualities was refined, achieving a shift from single-dimension ability assessment to a comprehensive capability "profile" (画像). The overall quality of admitted candidates has steadily improved, providing a strong foundational support for building up the Air Force's flight personnel ranks.

It is understood that, in order to inspire newly admitted flight cadets to pursue their dreams in the sky with high spirits, the Air Force plans to use multiple Y-20 aircraft on July 31 and August 1 to transport the newly admitted flight cadets from six boarding points — Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Nanjing, Changsha, and Chengdu — to report to the Air Force Aviation University. In addition, the Air Force has invited more than one hundred representatives of cadets' family members to board the aircraft together. Upon arriving at the Air Force Aviation University, they will tour the learning, training, and living facilities for flight cadets and experience firsthand the new look of the Air Force's flight talent cultivation.

Since 2022, the Air Force has for five consecutive years used domestically produced large transport aircraft to transport new flight cadets to report for enrollment. This year, the Y-20B — fitted with a new domestically produced engine — is being used to carry out this mission for the first time, becoming a vivid embodiment of the People's Air Force's equipment development and flight talent cultivation advancing in the same direction in parallel.

Original Chinese

解放军报北京7月30日电郭强、记者李建文报道：记者从空军招飞局获悉，2026年空军招飞录取考生综合素养稳步提高，按照计划，拟于7月31日和8月1日集中运送新录取飞行学员到空军航空大学报到，并首次使用运-20B参与执行此项任务。据空军招飞局有关负责人介绍，2026年全国适龄青年报考空军招飞热情持续高涨，报名考生基本覆盖所有地级行政区，录取考生来自31个省（自治区、直辖市），平均高考成绩创历史新高，其中县域高中考生占比达46%，15个少数民族82名考生圆梦蓝天。今年空军招飞选拔工作，通过引入大数据人工智能辅助鉴定等手段，检测科学性精准度进一步提升，健全体能素质、飞行潜质、心理品质综合评价体系，实现由单项能力考评向综合能力“画像”转变，录取考生综合素养稳步提高，为建强空军飞行人员队伍提供有力基础支撑。据了解，为激励新录取飞行学员以昂扬姿态逐梦蓝天，空军拟于7月31日和8月1日使用多架运-20，从沈阳、石家庄、济南、南京、长沙和成都6个登机点，集中运送新录取飞行学员到空军航空大学报到。此外，空军还邀请了百余名学员家长代表共同乘机。抵达空军航空大学后，他们将参观飞行学员学习、训练和生活场所，实地感受空军飞行人才培养崭新面貌。自2022年起，空军连续5年使用国产大型运输机运送新飞行学员入学报到。今年，首次使用换装新型国产发动机的运-20B参与执行此项任务，成为人民空军装备发展与飞行人才培养同向并行的生动缩影。