The program was a collaborative effort with Antonov – the designers of the An-12 that it was ultimately derived from – and was aimed at competing with the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.

After the design freeze, it was suggested that the first flight would depend on securing a launch customer; construction had also not yet commenced.

[6] The Y-9 entered People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) service in 2012,[1] with full operating capability being announced in December 2017.

The propellers are six-bladed and made with Chinese JL-4 composites, and closely resemble the Dowty R406.

[1][9] Some special purpose variants such as the Y-9G (GX-11) have the rear ramp door removed.