Since the Chinese H-6N bomber made its debut in the military parade on the 70th anniversary of the National Day in 2019, the semi-buried heavy-duty external hanging point in the belly of the aircraft has become the focus of attention. It was reported on October 21 that a video about the H-6N bomber carrying air-launched ballistic missiles recently exposed on social media has attracted the attention of Western media.
It can be seen from the video that the H-6N bomber carries a large missile on its belly. The length of the missile is longer than the entire engine compartment of the H-6N. Its length is estimated to be about 10 meters, and the missile head is sharp, which is very different from the CJ-10 cruise missile mounted on H-6N.
Some analysts said that as the video is not clear, it is impossible to see the true appearance of the missile, but this is obviously a hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile.
According to the official WeChat account of “Ordnance Science and Technology” Magazine, the long-range flight capabilities of space-based platforms can be used to maximize the impact of air-launched ballistic missiles. On the other hand, air-launched ballistic missiles also have many advantages such as good mobility, strong survivability, difficult early warning, and strong defense penetration capabilities. Therefore, such kind of missiles are likely to become another innovative existence independent of the current “triad” strategic nuclear power system in the future.
However, the development of air-launched ballistic missiles is very difficult. Prior to this, only the United States and Russia have carried out related research and development work. For example, Russia has successfully developed dagger air-launched ballistic missiles and has equipped troops for strategic duty tasks. The United States also conducted the first flight test of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile earlier this year.
In fact, as early as when the H-6N first appeared, some media had speculated that one of its major missions was to become a launch platform for China’s air-launched ballistic missiles (like DF-21D) in the future.
According to reports, due to its heavy weight, only one ballistic missile can be mounted on the belly of a H-6N bomber. The video shows that the length of the missile reaches 10 meters, and the overall size is between DF-15 and DF-16 missiles.
However, there are also voices who believe that the wedge-shaped profile of the missile closely resembles DF-17. The “War Zone” column of TheDrive website published an article on October 17th, saying that the unique wedge-shaped profile of the front section of the missile indicates that the missile may be a hypersonic weapon system, especially as its appearance looks similar to the DF-17 missile.
Although this news has not been officially confirmed by China, China already has hypersonic missiles, and it should not be a problem to extend its air-launched version.
In addition, the H-6N is improved on the basis of the H-6K, and is mainly equipped with an aerial fuel pipe, thus is capable of carrying ballistic missiles. Due to the ability to refuel in the air, the range of the H-6N has been increased from 7,000 kilometers of the H-6K to about 10,000 kilometers, and its combat radius has increased from 3,000 kilometers to more than 4,500 kilometers. If the H-6K combat radius just covered the second island chain, then the H-6N can completely break through the blockade of the second island chain, according to analyst Su Zimu.
At present, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is becoming increasingly tense. Some analysts said that the public video at this time is undoubtedly a strong response to Taiwan and the United States.