Summary and Key Points: The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) operates 231 Xi'an H-6 bombers, a variant of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16. The H-6, like the U.S. B-52 and the Russian Tu-95, has been continuously upgraded for new capabilities. Recently, an upgraded H-6K was observed carrying four YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missiles, part of China's Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) strategy aimed at countering enemy fleets, particularly the U.S. Navy.

-This development reflects China's effort to enhance the operational capabilities of its vintage bombers.

China's H-6K Bomber Now Carries Four Hypersonic Missiles, Boosting A2/AD Capabilities

China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) remains one of only three operators of long-range strategic bombers – along with the United States Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is currently believed that the PLAAF has as many as 231 of its vintage Xi'an H-6 (Hong 6) bombers in service, but like the U.S. Air Force's Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Russian military's Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name "Bear"), the old Chinese warbird is increasingly offered new capabilities.

Chinese state media outlet The Global Times reported earlier this month that an upgraded H-6K was spotted carrying four air-launched ballistic missiles – whereas, in the past, the bomber was only seen with just a pair of the missiles.

"Since the missile seems larger and heavier than other types of munitions carried by the H-6K, observers had presumed that the bomber could only carry two rather than four, but the new official photo negated that presumption," The Global Times stated, adding that an aviation expert "revealed that the H-6K bomber has sufficient payload capacity and its wings has sufficient structural strength."

The type of ordnance carried on the bomber was identified as the YJ-21, a hypersonic anti-ship missile that has a range of up to 1,500 km (932 miles). As reported by TheAviationist.com, the greater payload on the H-6K bomber is believed to be part of the "larger Chinese A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area-Denial) strategy" that is meant to minimize "the need for force-on-force contact."

China's A2/AD weapons could serve to counter an enemy fleet – namely that of the United States Navy – and can be launched from the land, from warships and increasingly aircraft like the H-6K bomber.

Beijing's Soviet-Designed Bomber

As with many of its military platforms that were produced during the Cold War, the H-6 wasn't actually developed domestically in China. Instead, the twin-engine jet bomber was a license-built version of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO reporting name Badger) – an aircraft that first entered service with the Soviet military in 1952.

The Tu-16 proved to be one of the Soviet Union's earliest effective jet bombers, and more than 1,500 were produced through 1962. It was significantly more advanced than the Tupolev Tu-4 (NATO reporting name Bull), a piston-engined strategic bomber that was a reverse-engineered copy of the American B-29 Superfortress. The new Tu-16 featured a large swept wing and was powered by two large Mikulin AM-3 turbojets. It could carry a single FAB-9000 9,000 kg (20,000) bomb or various nuclear weapons. It had a range of around 4,800 km (3,000 miles).

The Chinese state-owned Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) was tasked with producing a domestically-built version of the bomber, and it received assistance from a team of Soviet technicians that was dispatched to assist in jumpstarting the program at Xi'an. The Chinese Bureau of Aircraft Industry selected the Harbin Aircraft Factory as well as a similar factory in Xi'an to produce the new bomber.

Bombing training of the H-6 was recorded by U.S. spy satellites on August 13, 1971, while the following year, the CIA estimated that China had 32 aircraft operational with an additional 19 awaiting completion. The H-6 was also employed to drop nine nuclear devices at the Lop Nur test site. It was originally classified as a strategic bomber and was intended to serve as a nuclear deterrent, but as with the U.S. B-52, it was also modified to serve in a conventional bombing role. The CIA estimated in 1976 that the H-6 had moved over to a dual nuclear/conventional bombing role.

In recent years, the H-6 has increasingly taken on an A2/AD role armed with anti-ship missiles.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].