China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft - esp. Y-20/YY-20
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
Can we extrapolate from this any kind of production rate estimate?
Can we conclude from this picture whether it is MRTT or not?One more image of Y-20B.
We were able to conclude that ages ago (the answer is yes, for all Y-20B airframes).
This picture does nothing to change that conclusion, and whether all Y-20Bs are MRTTs or not shouldn't even be an active question by this point.
Oh I have been busy with college so last I left it was still undecided here. So if it won't take a lot of time, would you like to explain what made us definately conclude it is MRTT for example looking at this detailed picture? I am not knowledgeable about aircraft so want to learn...
There are multiple reasons why all Y-20Bs are MRTTs as standard, of which one of them is visible in that picture.
1. Credible long term rumours.
2. MRTTs are aircraft that have internal plumbing for the air refuelling role but typically normally operates as transports. They operate as tankers when air refuelling pods are installed onto the aircraft, but if they are not operating as tankers those pods are typically not present. I.e.: normally, transport aircraft oriented MRTTs (like A400M, KC-390) won't have pods installed.
3. We can see how there are formation lines (three lines) on the underside of the wings of Y-20Bs (which is visible in this particular picture as well), which are air refuelling formation lines for when air refuelling pods are installed at the wings on those positions. If Y-20Bs were not MRTTs, then they would not have those air refuelling formation lines. For example, you can see how on the YY-20A tanker has those formation lines below its wings, while the Y-20A (which is a transport only rather than a MRTT) does not have those formation lines.
Thanks so to sum up we can conclude it is MRTT from the fact that it has refueling formation lines while not having refueling pods currently installed.