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| Specifications Of Xian H-6, China's Flagship Bomber That is Difficult to Replace |
Beijing - The Chinese flagship Xian H-6 bomber is very much feared by the opponent. Xian H-6 is projected as a very strategic bomber and began to be used during the First World War and even difficult to replace.
Actually, the Xian H-6 airframe belongs to the Soviet Tu-16 aircraft. At that time, it was known that China and the Soviets had a special closeness so that the Soviets were able to play a role in the development of China's military.
Quoted from SCMP, Xian H-6 still continues to be a mainstay of China and will be deployed with full force if one day it is needed. These bombers were originally designed to strike priority targets and eliminate the strike groups comprising the ranks of US carriers.
The H-6 bomber can carry a bomb payload of up to 9000 kg, including a variety of air-to-surface, air-to-ship or conventional bombs. The aircraft has the capability to launch a nuclear strike. Some versions can carry air-launched cruise missiles.
Early production versions of the H-6 bomber were armed with a number of 23mm self-defense guns. There are two guns in the dorsal turret, two in the ventral turret, both positions of these cannons are controlled by remote.
There are two additional cannons in the manned tail turret. Some aircraft carried another 23mm cannon in the nose turret. For later production variants, most of these self-defense cannons were removed because they were considered less effective.
Also in the next variant, the number of crew members was reduced from six to four people. The bomber is equipped with two Xian WP8 turbojet engines. This engine is the original engine of the Tupolev Tu-16 produced in China under a license system.
This aircraft does not have a cruising range far enough for a truly strategic mission. With increasing developments in ballistic missile technology, the role of the H-6 nuclear strike also began to diminish.
Despite all the design improvements and improvements made to the Xian H-6, unfortunately this aircraft is still an aircraft designed for the 1950s, so its effectiveness is now also starting to be doubted.
Some sources report that China is starting to develop a new bomber that will replace the aging H-6 aircraft.
The Xian H-6 itself has a 2 × 23 mm (0.906 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannon in the remote back turret, 2 × NR-23 cannon in the remote ventral turret, 2 × NR-23 cannon in the rear turret of the aircraft, and Optional weapon 1 × NR-23 cannon in the nose of the aircraft.
The aircraft also comes with 6 or 7 KD-88 missiles (anti-ship or air-to-surface), C-601 anti-ship missiles, YJ-62 (C-602) anti-ship missiles, C-301 anti-ship missiles, C-101 anti-ship missiles. , and the CJ-10A cruise missile, as well as a 9,000 kg unguided bomb. China's flagship Xian H-6 bomber is still being deployed when China is threatened.