China started new long range bomber development

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World Aviation Defense & Security News - China
 
 
China started new long range bomber development
 
China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is developing a new type of strategic bomber, state media Global Times reported today September 2, adding to recent progress in large aircraft production and further expanding the range of the country's increasingly sophisticated military.
     
China started new long range bomber development 640 001 PLAAF's long range strike capabilities mainly rely on the H-6/K strategic bomber
(Credit: Japan MoD)
     
Air Force chief Ma Xiaotian discussed the development at an open-day event on Thursday, saying the bomber would significantly increase China's long-range strike ability, the reports said.

Ma gave no other details about the aircraft or when it would be introduced, saying only that "you will see it in the future.''

PLAAF's long range strike capabilities mainly rely on its fleet of 120 Xian H-6 strategic bombers, a license-built version of the Soviet-era's Tupolev Tu-16. The last variant, the H-6K, is designed for long-range attacks and stand-off attacks. In 2015, about 15 H-6Ks were in service.

China last year revealed its new generation H-6K strategic bomber equipped with the DH-20 land-attack cruise missile, giving it the ability to hit targets as far away as Australia. Only Russia and the U.S. are currently able to launch cruise missiles from the air.

The plane has since flown training missions over the western Pacific and patrols over the disputed South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

 

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