If you want to say the most dazzling equipment of the People's Liberation Army Air Force in recent times, then it is the Yunyou-20. This tanker converted from the Yun-20 large transport aircraft plays a decisive role in the construction of our country's strategic air force. Since its first public appearance in the Taiwan Strait airspace in early August, the Yunyou-20 has frequently appeared in official reports. At the Air Force Open Day held recently, the Yunyou-20 became a well-deserved "star." However, the Yunyou-20 did not just join the PLA Air Force's flight training recently. As early as the end of May this year, the Yunyou-20 appeared during the joint strategic air combat cruise of the Chinese and Russian Air Forces.
html On August 29, the People's Liberation Army Air Force released a picture of the Yunyou-20 tanker participating in the Sino-Russian joint air strategic cruise. The picture shows that a Yunyou-20 tanker refuels two J-16 heavy fighters at the same time, demonstrating its powerful aerial refueling capabilities. Looking back at the Sino-Russian joint strategic air patrol held on May 24, the Chinese and Russian air forces not only dispatched multiple Tu-95MS and H-6K aircraft along the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, In addition to long-range maneuvers in the air, a number of Su-30MS and J-16 fighter jets were also dispatched to escort the bomber formation. The official two J-16 fighter jets of Pili this time were the Chinese fighter jets that had previously participated in the escort.
Our country’s official announcement that the Tanker-20 participated in the Sino-Russian joint strategic cruise shows that the Tanker-20 had joined the PLA Air Force’s combat sequence long before its public debut, and now has formed a complete combat capability. This is very important to the People’s Liberation Army. This is great news for air power. The Yunyou-20 can provide aerial refueling services for our military's fighter jets, bombers, early warning aircraft and other types of fighters, greatly expanding the activity radius of Air Force fighters and allowing fighter planes to reach farther places.
The Yunyou-20 is a large tanker developed by my country on the basis of the Yun-20 large transport aircraft. Compared with my country's first-generation Hongyou-6 tanker, it has a longer range, larger fuel load, and faster fuel supply. Outstanding advantages such as fast. With its huge fuselage and excellent load capacity, the Yunyou-20 can carry about 150 tons of fuel in the central wing box and internal cargo hold. The maximum fuel supply capacity can reach more than 90 tons. The fuel supply capacity is that of the Hyou-6. 5 times, which also has greater advantages than the Il-78 tanker imported from Ukraine. Under extreme conditions, a Yunyou-20 tanker can provide refueling services for 8 J-16, J-20 heavy fighters or 2 H-6N bombers, increasing the combat radius of our country's fighters by more than 40%, and can It has greatly improved the long-range combat capabilities of our country's air force.
After aerial refueling by Yunyou-20, the combat radius of the J-16 fighter can be increased to about 2,500 kilometers, ensuring that the J-16 fighter can accompany the Chinese and Russian bomber formations to fly over the Miyako Strait for better execution. Escort mission. Under the protection of the Yunyou-20, the combat radius of my country's J-16, J-20, and other heavy fighters can completely cover the South China Sea and the first island chain, and can attack the first island chain. Long-range assaults are carried out in the airspace between and 's second island chain , blocking the enemy's air power at a distance of 2,000 kilometers. Other countries' delusions of using strategic bombers to carry out out-of-defense strikes against our country have been shattered.
In addition, another important function of the Yuanyou-20 is to provide refueling services for our country’s bombers, so that our country’s H-6 bombers can hopefully reach the threshold of strategic bombers. The H-6 bomber is one of the oldest bombers in the world, and it is also the youngest bomber in the world. Since it was put into service in the 1960s, our country has not stopped improving the H-6 bomber and gradually transformed it into a standard Chinese bomber. The long-range bomber has been transformed into a powerful long-range bomber. Currently, our country has about 200 H-6 bombers, more than half of which are newly built H-6K, , H-6J and H-6N bombers in recent years.
However, in the past two years of joint strategic cruises with the Russian Air Force , the H-6 bomber exposed its short range and weak endurance, making it difficult to complete a joint combat cruise with the Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber in one go. Judging from previous strategic cruise routes, my country's H-6K bomber needs to fly 6,000-8,000 kilometers, which is close to or exceeds the range limit of the H-6K bomber. Our country has to use a relay of H-6K bombers to complete the entire cruise. distance. In contrast, Russia's Tu-95MS strategic bomber has a maximum range of 15,000 kilometers and a combat radius of 5,500 kilometers. It can easily complete the entire flight mission independently.
This time, our country’s official exposure of the Tank-20’s participation in the Sino-Russian joint strategic air cruise means that our country’s H-6N bomber is very likely to participate in the next joint cruise. The most obvious feature of the H-6N bomber is that it has a fixed refueling probe installed on the nose, which has the ability to refuel in the air. After one aerial refueling, the range will be increased to more than 10,000 kilometers, and the combat radius will also be increased to With a range of about 4,500 kilometers, it can already touch the threshold of a strategic bomber in terms of range indicators.
At present, joint air strategic cruises have become an important part of the military cooperation between China and Russia. They will basically be held once or twice a year. With the emergence of the Yunyou-20 tanker, the H-6N bomber will also appear in the strategic During the cruise mission. Calculated based on the maximum internal fuel capacity of the H-6 bomber, which is 37 tons, one transport tank-20 can provide refueling services for two H-6N bombers at the same time, allowing the H-6N bombers to "run" the entire joint cruise route in one go. There will no longer be the embarrassing scene of relay completion, which is a very big improvement for Chinese Air Force . With the support of the Yunyou-20's combat power, the following Sino-Russian joint air strategic cruise routes will become farther and farther, and will become more deterrent.
