Photographs and videos circulating online on Tuesday showed a four-engine turboprop aircraft. The most detailed images showed it had six-blade propellers, a T-tail, a blended winglet configuration and possibly an aerial refuelling probe positioned above the cockpit – a structure found on the Airbus A400M.

A model of the new medium-lift transport, developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, first went on display at the 2014 Zhuhai air show with the provisional designation of Y-30.

However, some of the latest pictures show a fuselage number reading 15001, which might be a sign that the plane will end up being designated as the Y-15 instead. Other prototype warplanes, such as the J-20 and J-35, had the numbers 2001 and 350003 respectively.

Previous reports about the project said the aircraft used synthetic materials, making it far lighter than existing planes.

According to the developer, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of over 20 tonnes and can carry more than 110 personnel. It has a cruise speed of more than 600km/h (370mph), a range of over 3,000km (1,864 miles) with a full payload and a maximum flight time of more than 12 hours.