Su-30 Inflight Refuelling??

Found this picture on
its a MKK being refuelled in air, i remembered reading some article about how chinese MKKs never utilized their inflight refuelling probes...anyone want to shed some light XD

doesnt look like the inflight refuelling probe is extended....

The only situation the MKKs ever refueled arially was in peace mission 2005,, where they got some gas off a russian il-78.

MIGleader said:

The only situation the MKKs ever refueled arially was in peace mission 2005,, where they got some gas off a russian il-78.

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Could it be the the first time Russian showed Beijing the MKK in the 90's to demostrate aerial refueling?
Hard to tell the number of that MKK... either that or somehow China got H-6U to refuel it; but the MKK can eat more fuel than the H-6 can carry

Never refueling before in a MKK and suddenly, you are doing it in an exercise? Seems sorta extreme. I mean, first time in a war game?

The number in that MKK appears to be 11047. This makes 07 of the 3rd Division.

The MKK uses the new numbering scheme of no more two digit bort numbers in the tail and the fusealage, with the orange 5 digits on the tail. This makes it quite a recent picture.

Judging by the quality of the picture, its probably not a real picture but a clip from broadcast, perhaps from cctv in august.

btw, how did the plaaf pilots train to refuel arially if they have never done so before and dont have an il-78 practive with?

There are H-6 tankers.

The J-8D is also capable of mid air refueling.

crobato said:

There are H-6 tankers.

The J-8D is also capable of mid air refueling.

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So they trained on j-8s with h-6s? makes sense...kinda risky though, especially when the fighter and tanker are both going to change.

MIGleader said:

So they trained on j-8s with h-6s? makes sense...kinda risky though, especially when the fighter and tanker are both going to change.

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well, does anyone know if the refueling style on h-6 is the same as il-78? Either way, I think it might've been better to convert a y-8 to a tanker? One of the problems with h-6 tanker is that it can't hold that much fuel.