The Chinese Air Force released a photo of the J-20 fighter performing aerial refueling. This is the first time a photo of refuelling a Chinese stealth fighter in flight has been made public. More importantly, the Chinese YY-20 aircraft refuelling carried out the mission, and a J-16 fighter accepted refuelling at the same time.

The spokesperson of the Chinese Air Force unveiled the photo during the opening ceremony of an exhibition of the Chinese military aviation development. The exhibition is reported to mark "a decade of striving to build a strong military".

In the photo, a YY-20 refuelling aircraft, modified from a Y-20 transport aircraft, is refuelling a J-20 and a J-16 fighter.

A few days before the exhibition, the Chinese air force released a video unveiling the YY-20 officially for the first time. The clip shows a YY-20 refuelling a J-16 fighter. In just a few days’ time, the photo of the J-20 fighter accepting refuelling service will be publicized. The deployment of the YY-20 refuelling aircraft will significantly improve the Chinese Air Force's combat capability.

Since the 1990s, the Chinese air force has had three refuelling aircraft in service: the H-Y-6, which is based on the H-6 bomber, the imported Russian Ilyushin 76 refuelling plane, and the J-15 buddy store refuelling fighter from the Chinese Navy.

The YY-20 is based on a much better platform, the large-sized Y-20 transport aircraft. This is the first Chinese-designed flying tanker and it will make a real difference.

Before the YY-20, the H-Y-6 tanker was the most important refuelling aircraft in China, but it carries very limited fuel onboard. With the YY-20 aircraft entering service and the J-20 and J-16 getting involved, China has systematically solved yet another challenge in improving its real world combat capacity, being able to reach long-range targets such as some US military bases.


The YY-20 is yet another sophisticated support platform in China. This tanker can help other aircraft to extended range and to stay in air much longer. This can be a major boost making many US military bases within the reach of the Chinese air combat fleet.

Prior to the YY-20s entering service, the Chinese military had deployed a large number of fighters that could accept aerial refuelling service. The J-20 has a retractable refuelling probe to the right of the pilot. When not in use, the tube can be placed under cover in the fuselage, reducing the radar cross-section. Similar to that, the J-16, J-15, and J-11 fighters all have retractable probes, and the J-10 medium-sized fighters have non-retractable probes.

Other than the YY-20 and some fighters, during the exhibition, the Chinese Air Force aerobatic team, the Air Force Aviation University "Red Eagle" aerobatic team, and the "Sky Wings" aerobatic team will perform for the public and delegations from a few countries.

Chinese Military News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRTFwkOjzw&list=PLofQNsLszRLLmrmgQO6Lt4qnWZUaYx6ls
China Air Force: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uYlcS-a_HI&list=PLofQNsLszRLKAqgLS90Cn_hzZjg_IuSWm
Chinese space exploration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJaDP7cRxx4&list=PLofQNsLszRLJvyUJ9_1AJ7uSqZPcdDZRu

Photo and video: Wiki common,Zhongguokongjun wechat