Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Can China's New Bombers Reach Hawaii?

Xian HY-6. Wikipedia

Can China’s New Strategic Bomber Reach Hawaii? -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) took delivery of 15 of China’s new Xian H-6K strategic bombers, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported back in June. This report has now seemingly been confirmed by Chinese state-run media outlets, which noted that “Jane’s Defence was the first media outlet to confirm that the H-6K had formally entered active service.”

The H-6K nuclear-capable bomber is an upgraded version of the H-6 bomber, which is a locally built version of the Russian Tupolev Tu-16 Badger that Moscow first deployed during the 1950s. The PLAAF first received a TU-16 bomber from the Soviet Union in 1958 and has been modifying it ever since.

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My Comment: I suspect that even if this bomber could reach Hawaii .... it will be intercepted long before it reaches it's destination. But this bomber should not be discounted right away .... it is a just one of many paths that the Chinese are following .... with the ultimate goal of having an air force that can match U.S. air power in Asia.

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