The "Ordnance Science and Technology" public account released a photo on the 16th. The photo shows the 20th era of the Chinese Air Force. A J-20 and a Y-20 were flying with them. From the picture, the Y-20 and the J There seems to be a pipeline between -20, and the front and rear positions of the two aircraft are in a typical air refueling attitude. For this reason, many people speculate that this Yun-20 is not an ordinary Yun-20, but the Yunyou-20 large aerial tanker that everyone has been waiting for for a long time. The exposure of this photo indicates that China finally has It also marked the official entry of the Chinese Air Force into the Great Power Air Force Club.
(the earliest aerial refueling)
aerial refueling technology actually appeared very early. As early as the 1920s, the earliest aerial refueling technology appeared, and the aerial refueling technology at that time was very similar to the present one, which was derived from the tanker. Then, the pilot of the receiving aircraft directly grabs the fuel pipe and connects it to the fuel tank of his own aircraft so that he can refuel in the air.
(CG picture of -20, with a hard tube refueling method in the middle, and a hose refueling method on both sides)
However, modern aircrafts are faster and fly higher, so it is obvious to use this extremely primitive air refueling method It is unreliable. The air refueling technology in the world today is mainly divided into hose refueling and hard pipe refueling. The hard pipe refueling technology is only used by the U.S. Air Force. Other countries, including the U.S. navy, all use hose refueling. The oil transportation exposed this time- The 20 dispenser also uses hose refueling technology.
Yun-20 is a large strategic transport aircraft independently developed by China in the new century. According to the analysis of "Ordnance Science and Technology", the aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 179 tons, a maximum fuel load of 77.5 tons, and a maximum load of 55 tons ( This data is relatively conservative. The public data on the Internet is that the maximum take-off weight is 220 tons and the load capacity is 66 tons). If it is converted into a tanker, you can refer to the design of the Russian Il-78 tanker and add two large detachable fuel tanks inside the cabin. In this way, when the fuel tank is equipped, the Y-20 becomes a tanker, and after the fuel tank and auxiliary equipment are removed, the Y-20 is still a transport aircraft. This multifunctional design is more suitable for the current thinking of the Chinese Air Force.
According to calculations, the maximum fuel carrying capacity of the Fuel -20 is about 113.5 tons. In this way, the fuel -20 can provide a full 90 tons of fuel to the front fighter force in the airspace 1000 kilometers away from the base, calculated according to a fighter jet with a load of 7 tons. , Enough to provide fuel supply for about 12 fighters, even at a distance of 3,500 kilometers from the base, it can provide about 41.5 tons of fuel for fighters.
(the Chinese army now has about 25 bomber-6 tankers, and 3 IL-78s from Ukraine)
because many articles have discussed in detail the fuel-carrying -20 tanker versus the J-20 The supplementary role played by fighter jets, I won't repeat them here. Here, we will consider the importance of the Luan-20 to the Chinese Air Force from another perspective. In fact, fighter jets account for only about half of the aircraft supplied with fuel supply from the Tanker-20 tanker.
(Ill-78 refueling for Su-30)
This is because the fighter aircraft itself carries limited weapons and ammunition, and the pilot’s physical strength is also very limited. Although theoretically speaking, through air refueling, the fighter can also obtain an "unlimited" range. However, airborne weapons and physical limitations of pilots doomed fighters to difficult long-term air patrols and operations (the current record of the longest single mission duration of our military fighters is 10 hours), but in contrast, other aircrafts have been refueled in the air , The operational significance that can be achieved is much more profound.
(Strategic bombers want to dominate the sky, air refueling is essential, the picture shows the Russian Tu-95MSM is carrying out air refueling)
Air Force is essentially an offensive force, using air force to penetrate into the enemy’s airspace, seize air supremacy, and cover It is the strategic significance of the Air Force that its own bombers carry out strategic bombings on the enemy. This is described in detail in the famous Italian general Du Hei's "Control of the Air." For the current Chinese Air Force, the successful development of Yunyou-20 will greatly promote the development of China’s strategic bombers, andGreatly extend the combat range of China's strategic bombers.
takes the H-6K bomber as an example. Although the aircraft has a bomb load of about 15 tons and a range of about 8,000 kilometers, it is called a "quasi" strategic bomber, but for a long time the aircraft lacks refueling function and also There is no advanced tanker to cooperate with, so the real combat capability of the H-6K bomber has not been fully developed. For example, the maximum range of the H-6K is about 8,000 kilometers, but it needs about 12,000 kilometers of endurance to fly around Japan. Therefore, the Tu-95MS of the Russian strategic aviation force often "draws a circle" around Japan, while the Chinese strategic aviation force only has Envious of it. Because even the H-6K tanker equipped earlier, it is difficult to provide effective air refueling support for H-6K because of the small amount of fuel carried.
(suspected oil -20 tanker previously exposed on the Internet)
However, the situation will inevitably change after the oil -20 is finalized. The oil -20 tanker can still provide more than 41 tons even in the airspace of 3,500 kilometers from the base. The fuel supply is equivalent to a little more than the full fuel capacity of the H-6 tanker! Therefore, after the H-6K conducts an aerial refueling at a distance of 3,500 kilometers from the mainland, it can ensure that it has enough range to "draw a circle" around Japan.
is not only that, because the H-6K itself has a range of about 8000 kilometers, it will be enough to extend its range to 16000 kilometers after two aerial refueling in the airspace of 4000 kilometers away from the base (one refueling for each round trip, each supplementary 4000 kilometers) This means that bombers such as the H-6K can also carry Long Sword-20 air-launched cruise missiles to bomb Alaska, Hawaii, and even the west coast of the United States. In this way, the H-6K becomes a real "strategic" bomber and has Equivalent to the powerful deterrence capability of the B-52, and this combat capability is sufficient to change the strategic situation on both sides of the Pacific.
(H-6N bomber with aerial refueling pipe installed)
In addition to refueling the bomber, Yunyou-20 can also refuel auxiliary aircraft such as the Air Police-500 early warning aircraft and the Yun-8Q anti-submarine patrol aircraft. These aircraft are relatively large, large auxiliary aircraft with sufficient rest space inside, and pilots can take turns to rest. Providing air refueling services to these aircraft can effectively extend the combat patrol time of these aircraft, thereby greatly improving the combat efficiency of the aircraft. .
(The Air Force-500 early warning aircraft with aerial refueling pipes is also installed, and the Chinese Air Force is ushering in a new era)
A simple example: the endurance of the Air Force-500 early warning aircraft is about 12 hours (6000 kilometers), so Theoretically speaking, it takes 3 air police-500 early warning aircraft to meet the 24-hour surveillance and surveillance needs of a certain area (2 rotating surveillance, 1 backup), but if there is a transport of oil-20, it can be refueled once in the air. The Air Police-500 patrols for more than 12 hours, so that two early warning aircraft can take on the alternate work of the original three early warning aircraft, thereby reducing the need for one aircraft, thereby saving the cost of use.
At the same time, after the oil Yun-20 tanker is mass-produced, the "Pang Niu" Yun-20 transport aircraft can also be refueled in the air to fly to farther airspace for air transportation and airdrop operations, thereby greatly expanding the combat range of the Chinese Air Force. And to enhance China's force projection capabilities. This will have important strategic value for the PLA to maintain security and stability along the Belt and Road in the future. Therefore, the Yunyou-20 and J-20 companions are not just as simple as providing air refueling for fighters. The emergence of large tankers such as the Yunyou-20 will greatly change the combat mode of the Chinese Air Force. Strategic thinking.
