Today the Russian news agencies published a photo of the Ilyushin 78MD, which is actually a fueled version of the Ilyushin. The Russian news agencies said that the plane is the first of 20 Ilyushin aircraft ordered by China. Before that there was news about the order of the Ilyushin 78 refueling plane by China, but it was not confirmed. It is not clear why it reached the Russians despite the presence of refueling planes like the Chinese Y20 refueling version.

Today the Russian news agencies published a photo of the Ilyushin 78MD, which is actually a fueled version of the Ilyushin. The Russian news agencies said that the plane is the first of 20 Ilyushin aircraft ordered by China. Before that there was news about the order of the Ilyushin 78 refueling plane by China, but it was not confirmed. It is not clear why it reached the Russians despite the presence of refueling planes like the Chinese Y20 refueling version.