China’s long-expected aerial tanker variant of the domestically developed Y-20 large transport aircraft will make its debut to the general public soon, and an aerial early warning (AEW) variant is also under development, making the Y-20 and its variants the pillars of the Chinese Air Force’s strategic capabilities.
The Y-20’s chief designer Tang Changhong said several times that there would be variants, and a prototype tanker variant of the Y-20 was spotted on commercial satellite photos by foreign media in 2018. It is widely expected that the tanker variant will work together with and eventually replace the very few imported Il-78 tankers and the domestically developed but less capable HU-6. Read More…
