YY-20A Aerial refuelling tanker

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Initial designation: Y-20U.
In service: since 2022.
As of 2022 the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force has three tanker aircraft.

The aerial refuelling tanker aircraft was developed on the basis of the military transport Y-20 with the ability to transfer up to 75 tons of fuel in the air. On December 5, 2018, the modernized refuelling tanker made its first flight. The aircraft was equipped with two underwing fuel transfer units (one on each wing console) and also provided for the installation of a central fuel refueling unit (the unit is located in the tail unit of the aircraft).

The aerial refuelling tanker aircraft has the ability to simultaneously transfer fuel to two J-16 and J-20 fighters. While for air refueling for strategic and special aircraft there is the refueling unit in the tail section of the aircraft (by one aircraft of the H-6N or KJ-500A type).

In parallel with the upgraded YY-20A tanker, a new YY-20B tanker was introduced based on the Y-20B military transport aircraft with four Chinese-made WS-20 turbofan engines with increased thrust than the Russian D-30KP-2 aka WS-18.

Technical specifications