PLAAF unveils YY-20 air-to-air tanker aircraft
A screengrab from a PLAAF video showing a YY-20 refuelling a pair of J-16s over the ocean east of China. (Chinese MND)
China's air force confirms it is operating the tanker variant of the Y-20, as the nation expands the reach of its military aircraft.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has revealed the designation of its tanker variant of the Y-20 transport aircraft, the YY-20.
Commentators had previously christened the aircraft as Y-20U, but YY-20 (representing ‘tanker-transport’) has now been revealed as the official designation. The YY-20 has two refuelling pods on its outer wings and one more on the rear fuselage for hose and drogue fuelling missions.
This nomenclature was disclosed during a PLAAF press conference in Beijing on 31 July.
Snr Col Shen Jinke, a PLAAF spokesperson, said a YY-20 tanker aircraft and J-16 fighter had recently carried out over-water aerial
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
![Boeing delivers last Apache AH-64E Guardian attack helicopter to British Army]()
Boeing delivers last Apache AH-64E Guardian attack helicopter to British Army
The helicopters have been remanufactured using common parts from the British Army AH-64 MkI fleet with the 17 not being converted going for a range of uses such as engineering, ground handling and other training.
-
![Initial flight testing completed of LRASM anti-ship missile on F-35]()
Initial flight testing completed of LRASM anti-ship missile on F-35
The AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER). It is being developed to meet US requirements and in 2020 the sale was approved to Australia of up to 200 LRASM for an estimated cost of US$990 million.
-
![Aselsan conducts live-fire test of Gözde guidance kit with F-16 aircraft]()
Aselsan conducts live-fire test of Gözde guidance kit with F-16 aircraft
The test is a first for the kit, developed via a partnership between Aselsan and Tübitak SAGE, to hit a high-speed moving target.
