The original Y-8 inherited the An-12's twin 23 mm cannon tail turret, but this was removed on subsequent variants.

The wings are attached high on the fuselage, and the tricycle landing gear is equipped with low pressure tires.

The earliest versions used for the transportation of freight or troops had two side-hinged, inward-opening doors, while later variants used a rearward-facing ramp to facilitate loading and unloading of the payload.

[3] Many variants for specialized roles have been built, but information on them can be vague or difficult to obtain due to the secretive nature of the Chinese military.

When the PLA Air Force started to test parachute extraction, these two design flaws caused a near disaster.

The Chinese wanted to purchase Lockheed wind tunnel testing on the Y-8 in order to address the stall problem.

Lockheed was told that flight test data was not provided by the Soviets when they helped China build the Y-8 factory.

China did buy C-130s,[citation needed] but the flight test series actually demonstrated that the Y-8 was a more capable aircraft than previously believed.

Some Y-8 aircraft were used by the Sri Lanka Air Force as makeshift bombers, dropping bombs from the rear doors, during the country's civil war, losing two units, one to Tamil Tiger anti-aircraft defences and the second to mechanical failure.

[6] It had been exported to other countries around the world including Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Venezuela, and possibly others.

Data from Sinodefence.com[25]General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era