The Diplomat:
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) has acquired Xian-H-6J anti-ship cruise missile-carrying bombers, according to satellite imagery taken on September 7. An analysis of the satellite images shows that the first four H-6J bombers — assumed to be the naval variant of the upgraded H-6K — were on the ground at the PLANAF air base at Guiping-Mengshu in Guangxi in early September.
“The aircraft at Guiping-Mengshu are assessed to be a variant of the H-6K, which has been in service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) since about 2011,” IHS Jane’s reports on October 11 without elaborating on the exact H-6 variant.
The H-6Js are presumably replacing H-6G maritime striker bombers, which first entered service with the PLANAF in the early 1990s. The PLA South Sea Fleet currently operates an H-6G regiment consisting of approximately 14-18 aircraft. In comparison to the older variant, the H-6J is thought to be able to carry about three times the number of anti-ship missiles, and at 3,500 kilometers boasts an increased combat radius of around 50 percent.
