Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced on November 28 that the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) had urgently dispatched fighter jets to warn 27 PLAAF aircraft to leave its Southern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and also deployed a missile defense system as a Precaution.
According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), RoCAF observed 18 fighters, including J-10, J-11 and J-16, Shaanxi Y-9 electronic warfare aircraft, two KJ-500 airborne early warning platforms and five H-6 strategic bomber with nuclear capability.
However, it is the air-to-air refueling modification of the Xian Aircraft Company’s Y-20A transport aircraft-named Y-20U-that has attracted international attention due to its air-to-air refueling capabilities and public occasions. Debut in international airspace for the first time.
On about the same day, photos and video clips posted on China’s Weibo social media channel confirmed that the new model was in service with the Chinese Air Force.
The video clip shows a Y-20U aerial tanker in flight with a low-visibility PLAAF mark and serial number 20241, indicating that this type is used by the 13th carrier of the 37th Aviation Regiment in Kaifeng.
According to visual analysis, the Y-20U is equipped with three hose cone refueling pods, two of which are installed under the outer wings and the third is installed on the rear fuselage. It also has a redesigned main landing gear gangway, which may be designed to improve receiver stability during fuel transfer operations.
The Y-20U is the second-generation aerial tanker and is expected to become the main aerial tanker of the PLA Air Force, gradually replacing the increasingly outdated H-6U and Ilyushin Il-78M platforms. Y-20U is expected to provide support for the latest aircraft deployed by the PLA Air Force, including the J-20 stealth fighter, H-6N strategic bomber and KJ-500 AEW aircraft.
Xiao Wu
