China has released what appears to be the first official photograph of a Y-20B transport aircraft fitted with underwing aerial-refuelling pods. Published by the PLA Daily on 14 October, the image shows the aircraft with its rear cargo ramp open during loading training. Chinese state media subsequently identified the aircraft as a Y-20B, an upgraded version of the Y-20 powered by domestically developed WS-20 engines. The image documents the configuration in training but does not confirm when it entered operational tanker service.
The PLA Daily caption did not identify the aircraft, which is shown in Chinese air-force markings alongside a truck carrying equipment. China Media Group and the China Military Bugle account later identified it as a Y-20B. The photograph indicates that the aircraft can carry cargo while equipped with refuelling pods; no additional fuel tanks are visible in the open cargo hold.
Military commentator Fu Qianshao said the aircraft’s internal fuel capacity is sufficient to refuel medium or heavy fighters without tanks in the cargo compartment, leaving that space available for personnel or equipment. The Y-20B’s modular configuration can therefore combine transport and refuelling functions, although publicly available information on its range, operational capability and service entry remains limited.