The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is showcasing its Y-20 military transport aircraft at South Africa's largest air show and the aircraft will present the audience a 12-minute flying display on Saturday and Sunday, public open days of the air show.
The Y-20 large transport aircraft made its debut at the Africa Aerospace and Defense (AAD) 2024 in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, on Wednesday, when a three-day static display of the aircraft kicked off.
The Y-20 at the Air Force Base Waterkloof -- venue of the air show -- has grabbed the spotlight and drawn a large number of aviation enthusiasts, local residents and overseas Chinese in South Africa.
During the flying display, the Y-20 needs to complete five flight maneuvers in over ten minutes for the exhibition, including steep climbs, low-altitude high-speed approaches, and agile low-altitude turns, demonstrating the advanced capabilities of the aircraft and the skill of its crew.
The dynamic display of Y-20 is scheduled to end on Sunday, the last day of the AAD 2024.
China's Y-20 transport aircraft to present 12-minute performance at South Africa's largest air show
The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, will hold a vote on May 8 to ratify a natural resources agreement signed with the United States earlier this week.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday an agreement between the two countries to establish the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which will give the U.S. preferential access to some of Ukraine's natural resources.
The fund will become operational within a month to a month and a half after the agreement is approved by the Ukrainian parliament, according to Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Friday.
Speaking to Ukrainian media, the minister expressed her hope for the early launch of the fund, saying it should become a tool for the recovery and development of key sectors of the Ukrainian economy.
Also on Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the follow-up technical documents for the fund will not be intergovernmental, but will be signed at the institutional level.
He said that the follow-up agreements will be of an implementation nature between Ukraine's designated agency and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and therefore will not require ratification by the parliament.
Although there are no formal security guarantees in the agreement, but each new military assistance provided by the U.S. to Ukraine is considered a capital contribution, which will encourage the U.S. administration to continue and not to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons and intelligence, said the Ukrainian Prime Minister, who also called on the legislature to ratify the agreement as soon as possible.
Ukrainian parliament to vote on natural resources deal with U.S. on May 8
