China’s Support Aircraft: KJ-500 AWACS, Y-20 and YY-20 Tanker

Fighters and bombers get the attention, but it is support aircraft that decide how far an air force can fight. China has built up a large fleet of KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft, about 95 to 100 Y-20 heavy transports and around 40 YY-20 aerial refuelling tankers, according to the IISS Military Balance 2026. It has also begun flying the KJ-3000, a larger early-warning jet based on the Y-20, and the carrier-based KJ-600.

This guide covers China’s main support aircraft and how they extend the reach of the PLA.

What support aircraft does China have?

Support aircraft include airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, which use large radars to watch the sky and direct fighters; tankers, which refuel aircraft in flight; transports; and specialised electronic warfare and maritime patrol aircraft. Many of China’s are built on two airframes: the four-engine turboprop Y-8/Y-9 and the four-engine jet Y-20.

KJ-500 and KJ-3000: eyes in the sky

The KJ-500 carries a fixed, three-sided radar in a disc above a Y-9 turboprop, giving it all-round coverage without a rotating antenna. It is China’s most numerous early-warning aircraft and regularly flies near Taiwan and over the South China Sea. The KJ-3000, based on the larger jet-powered Y-20, flies faster and higher and can stay on station longer. Together with the carrier-based KJ-600, these aircraft let Chinese fighters such as the J-20 detect targets far beyond the range of their own radars. Our ranking of the best AEW&C aircraft compares them with Western types.

Y-20 transport and YY-20 tanker

The Y-20, a four-engine jet transport comparable in size to the Russian Il-76, first flew in 2013 and has been built at about eight a year. It gives the PLA the ability to move troops and equipment quickly across China and abroad. Its tanker version, the YY-20, entered service in 2022 and can transfer about 90 tonnes of fuel. The re-engined YY-20B, with Chinese WS-20 engines, is considered roughly comparable to Western tankers such as the KC-46. Tankers matter because they let fighters and bombers such as the H-6N, described in our guide to Chinese bombers, reach far beyond China’s coast.

Why they matter

A modern air campaign depends on support aircraft as much as on fighters. Without tankers, Chinese fighters could reach little beyond Taiwan and the near seas; without early-warning aircraft, they would struggle to find stealthy enemies. That also makes these aircraft prime targets: US planners have said that in a war they would try to shoot down Chinese tankers and early-warning aircraft first, and China’s long-range PL-17 missile appears designed to do the same to American ones. China’s fighters are covered in our guide to Chinese fighter jets.

How does China compare?

This is where the gap with the United States is widest. The US operates more than 450 KC-135 and KC-46 tankers and well over 500 across all services, roughly ten times China’s fleet, plus E-3, E-7 and E-2D early-warning aircraft. The E-2D Hawkeye is the closest American equivalent to the KJ-600. China is closing the gap, but it would take many years to match America’s ability to sustain air operations far from home.

Frequently asked questions

Does China have AWACS aircraft?

Yes. China’s main airborne early-warning aircraft is the KJ-500, joined by the newer KJ-3000, the older KJ-2000 and the carrier-based KJ-600.

What is the KJ-3000?

China’s newest airborne early-warning aircraft, based on the four-engine Y-20 jet transport.

How many tankers does China have?

About 40 YY-20 tankers, according to the IISS Military Balance 2026, plus a smaller number of H-6U and Il-78 tankers.

What is the Y-20?

A Chinese four-engine heavy jet transport, similar in size to the Il-76, in service since 2016. About 95 to 100 have been built.

How does China’s tanker fleet compare with the US?

The United States has roughly ten times as many tankers.

What is the KJ-600?

A carrier-based early-warning aircraft that can be launched by catapult from the Fujian.