By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
China’s H-6K bomber appears to be capable of carrying more air-launched ballistic missiles than previously believed.
A new photo of the plane published in an official Chinese military WeChat account shows the bomber taking off at night in an exercise held earlier this summer. It was carrying two of the YJ-21 missiles under one side of its wings.
Observers told the Global Times, an English-language newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, that it most likely also carried two missiles under the other wing for a total of four, in order to stay balanced. Previously, the plane had only been seen carrying one missile under each wing.
The Global Times said the extra missiles on the H-6K can “significantly increase the PLA Air Force’s long-range precision strike capabilities.”
China unveiled the YJ-21 missile in 2022. It’s been described as a hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile. An official publication claimed the missile has a cruise speed of Mach 6 (4,094 miles per hour) and a terminal speed of Mach 10 (roughly 7,000 mph).
The missile is believed to have a range of up to 930 miles, and is part of a family of weapons designed to be “carrier killers.” Since that’s longer than the combat range of the US carrier based F-35C (630 miles), that means the carriers would have to sail closer in so its planes could reach their targets – making the ships and their escorts more vulnerable to attack.
Last year, the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress noted that the H-6K could carry six land-attack cruise missiles, “giving the PLA a long-range standoff precision strike capability that can range targets in the Second Island Chain from home airfields in mainland China.”
The “island chain strategy” is a big part of US force protection in Asia. The Second Island Chain includes Japan’s Bonin Islands, the Mariana Islands – which include the heavily fortified US bases on Guam – and the western Caroline Islands, which include Palau.
The H-6K is the latest version of one of China’s oldest bombers. Its lineage goes as far back at the Cold War era Soviet Tu-16 bomber, which has been in service for almost 70 years. The first H-6 produced in China flew in 1968. According to the Pentagon’s 2020 China Military Power report, the H-6 will likely fly into the 2030s, due to an ongoing series of significant upgrades.
China’s new H-20 stealth bomber is expected to fly alongside the H-6 and eventually replace it. However, it may take some time for the H-20 to be produced in significant numbers – which is why the H-6 is staying in service so long.
The H-20 bears a striking resemblance to the US B-2 bomber, not a surprise considering China’s penchant for its efforts to copycat American military technology. Little is known about the plane, which probably won’t enter service until sometime in the next decade.
Still, the Pentagon has noted that its reported range of about 5,300 miles could places areas such as the South China Sea at risk.
