Chinese air force reveals Y-20B tanker-transport variant in official training image

China’s military has published what appears to be the first official photograph of a Y-20B heavy transport aircraft in PLA Air Force livery fitted with aerial refuelling pods, suggesting that the multi-role tanker-transport (MRTT) configuration has entered service.

An image published by the PLA Daily newspaper on October 14 shows the four-engine aircraft painted in standard military grey, with refuelling pods beneath its wings and its rear cargo ramp open as a truck carrying equipment is behind it.

The caption said an unnamed air force unit was conducting loading training in mid-autumn. While the PLA Daily did not identify the aircraft, state broadcaster China Media Group and China Military Bugle, a PLA News Media Centre social media account, both identified it as a Y-20B on Monday.

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In the same October 19 report by China Media Group, military commentator Fu Qianshao said the Y-20B carried enough internal fuel to refuel medium or heavy fighters without additional tanks in the cargo compartment, allowing it to retain space for personnel or equipment.

A Chinese military commentator had already concluded in an October 13 opinion piece that the MRTT version had formally entered service, citing photographs showing the aircraft in PLA Air Force livery with refuelling pods fitted.

The October 14 photograph provides official evidence of the configuration during PLA Air Force unit training, although it does not establish when the aircraft became operational as a tanker.

The latest evidence follows confirmation by China’s CCTV state broadcaster in August that the Y-20B, an upgraded version of the Y-20A transport fitted with domestically developed WS-20 engines, could be converted into a tanker using removable refuelling equipment.

Such flexibility could allow the PLA Air Force to supplement its dedicated YY-20A tankers by assigning transport aircraft to refuelling duties, potentially supporting sustained combat operations farther into the western Pacific. During a Taiwan conflict, additional tanker capacity could help People’s Liberation Army fighters remain airborne longer or operate farther from mainland bases.

Andreas Rupprecht, an aviation analyst specialising in Chinese military aviation, previously told the South China Morning Post that observers had tracked the capability since a Y-20B prototype appeared with refuelling pods in January 2022. A military-grey Y-20B was spotted in April 2023 with tanker alignment markings but no refuelling pods.

Rupprecht estimated that around 90 Y-20A-family transports and tankers were operational by August 2025, while about two dozen Y-20Bs were in service or awaiting delivery.

The Y-20B also represents an engine upgrade over the original Y-20A, which uses Russian D-30KP-II turbofans. The WS-20 offers greater thrust and better fuel efficiency than the D-30, although reliable public figures quantifying the resulting gains in range or payload are not available.

Beyond aerial refuelling, the Y-20 platform is also being adapted into the KJ-3000 airborne early-warning and control aircraft, which has been undergoing flight testing. Together, these variants could give the PLA greater capacity to move forces, sustain combat aircraft and coordinate operations far from mainland China.