BEIJING, March 19 — The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) assisted task assignment system for China’s aerial refuelling tankers, days after a US military aerial tanker crash in the Middle East, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The system, dubbed the “aerial refuelling area management system”, was developed by technicians from the PLA Air Force and was first trialled during training late last year, the PLA Daily reported on Monday, SCMP said.

The platform aims to improve the efficiency and safety of China’s air refuelling operations by using real time data and automated algorithms.

The AI-driven programme monitors real time airspace conditions and calculates fuel levels of all participating aircraft.

It then generates optimised pairing plans between tankers and fighters based on fuel levels, flight duration and airspace capacity, issuing tailored recommendations to pilots, the PLA Daily was quoted as saying by SCMP.

Yu He, a PLA Air Force officer involved in the programme, told the state paper that the “smart task assignment” feature delivers “scientifically sound and highly efficient solutions, enabling the maximisation of aerial refuelling effectiveness.”

Previously, tankers would loiter in assigned airspace with fighters choosing the nearest available tanker, creating operational bottlenecks as some tankers became overloaded while others remained idle, the SCMP report said.

The new system is designed to address what the PLA described as a “critical weakness limiting combat effectiveness”.

The announcement came days after a US Air Force Boeing KC 135 “Stratotanker” crashed in western Iraq during America’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

All six crew members were killed in the incident, which the Pentagon said did not involve hostile or friendly fire, although a pro Iranian militant group claimed responsibility. 

Initial accounts suggested the US tanker crash may have resulted from a mid air collision with another KC 135 that was damaged but landed safely, the report added.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV quoted military analyst Du Wenlong as saying the aged US KC 135 fleet — built in the 1950s and 1960s — faces stress and fatigue from frequent long distance deployments to hotspot regions, increasing the risk of mechanical issues, SCMP reported.

Du, a retired senior PLA colonel, cited a 1966 incident in which a KC 135 collided with a B 52 during air refuelling, causing the bomber to drop its hydrogen bombs and trigger radioactive contamination.