New PLA refueling aircraft to feature at Changchun public event

The People's Liberation Army Air Force will display its latest addition — the YY-20 large aerial refueling aircraft — during a public event starting on Friday in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.

Displaying a photo showing a YY-20 flying with a J-20 stealth fighter jet and a J-16 strike fighter, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesman for the PLA Air Force, told a news conference in Changchun on Wednesday that the event will be the first opportunity for the public to get a close look at the YY-20, which was declassified at the end of July.

The new tanker is a variant of China's Y-20 strategic transport plane. Like the Y-20, the new plane was made by State-owned defense contractor, the Aviation Industry Corp of China.

At a news conference in Beijing last month, Shen said that the YY-20 had carried out aerial refueling exercises with a J-16 aircraft above the sea.