China’s H-6K: The ‘Old’ Bomber That Could ‘Sink’ the U.S. Navy

May 22, 2018

The National Interest:

In recent days, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has stepped up its activities in the South China Sea.

For the first time ever, the PLAAF has landed Xian H-6K bombers on Woody Island in the disputed Paracel archipelago. The Pentagon decried the Chinese move as a part of “China’s continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea,” U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan said.

The H-6K—which is a highly upgraded Chinese copy of the antiquated 1950s-era Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-16 Badger—is the PLAAF’s mainstay bomber. But while the Badger design is a Soviet-era antique, internally, the Chinese H-6K is a modern aircraft with a much-improved airframe, sensors and propulsion.

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