China's H-6 bomber is based on the Soviet-era Tu-16 Badger, which was designed in the 1950s and retired by Russia in the early 1990s. (Photo : www.eastasiaintel.com)
China may soon have its own long-range strategic bomber after People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers have urged the PLA Air Force to prioritize the development of the aircraft in a meeting held recently, according to Kanwa Defense Review, a Canada-based publication specializing in defense affairs and weapons technology.
Chinese aviation refers to a long-range strategic bomber as an aircraft that can carry more than 10 metric tons of air-to-ground weaponry and fly at least 8,000 kilometers without refueling. Strategic bombers are built to fly into enemy territory to destroy major military installations, arms factories and important cities, unlike tactical bombers and attack aircraft, which are used to attack enemy combatants and military equipment.
The report said that the officers have agreed that the long-range strategic bomber is essential to the Chinese military as it will enable the air force to strike a second "island chain" to deny foreign military involvement during conflict.
The "two island chains" was conceived by PLA military theorists as basis for China's maritime defensive perimeter. Though the boundaries of the chains have not been officially defined, the first chain refers to a series of islands that stretch from Japan in the north to Taiwan and the Philippines to the south. The second chain runs from the north at the Bonin Islands and southward through the Marianas and the Caroline Islands.
According to Kanwa, the design for the heavy bomber may soon be presented after the completion of the Y-20 heavy airlifter in one to two years.
Aerospace Knowledge magazine, a defense technology publication in China, also hinted about the bomber development in a series of articles in its June issue, which analyzed the performance of Chinese bombers and also called for the development of a long-range stealth bomber.
Chinese military experts have previously urged the government to replace its Cold War-era H-6 aircraft.
Wu Guohui, a military equipment researcher at PLA National Defense University, said in Oct. 2013 that large bombers were once ignored due to their alleged poor survivability, but the United States, Russia and China have acknowledged the advantages of stealth bombers. He said that bombers can conduct nuclear strikes as well as bombing by conventional weapons, and they are more cost-efficient than a ground-to-ground missile, which is non-reusable.
Military observers, however, said that the PLA Air Force's bomber fleet is much weaker compared with its counterparts in the U.S. and Russia, because its H-6 bombers, which are based on the Soviet-era Tu-16 Badger, was designed in the 1950s and retired by Russia in the early 1990s.
