China’s PLA reveals AI-assisted aerial refuelling tech days after US military tanker crash

The People’s Liberation Army has announced a new AI-assisted task dispatch system for China’s aerial refuelling tankers, days after a US military tanker crashed in the Middle East.According to the official PLA Daily, the Chinese air force has streamlined its aerial refuelling operations with a smart artificial intelligence (AI) system to improve efficiency and safety.The report on Monday came just days after a US Air Force Boeing KC-135 “Stratotanker” aerial refuelling tanker crashed in western Iraq during America’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran.According to the PLA Daily report, the “aerial refuelling area management system” – developed by technicians from the PLA Air Force – was first introduced during training at the end of last year.The system monitors real-time airspace situations and employs built-in algorithms to automatically calculate real-time fuel levels for all participating aircraft within the area.A US Air Force KC-135 “Stratotanker” flies over northern Alaska on March 4. Photo: HandoutBased on the fuel levels, airspace capacity and flight duration of each aircraft, the system generates the most optimised pairing plans between tankers and fighters, issuing recommendations to pilots.