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.
