In a veiled threat to US military power in the Pacific, the Chinese air force has announced their venerable H6-K bomber is getting a deadly new upgrade.

The Cold War bomber is based on the 1950s Tu-15 "Badger" – the Soviet Union’s workhorse heavy bomber produced in answer to the classic B-52.

The Xian H-6 first flew in 1959 and test-dropped nuclear weapons in the early Seventies. But reports have emerged the H6-K is now being repurposed as a launch platform for hypersonic cruise missiles.

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The H-6K has some major modifications from the original Fifties airframe, with more powerful engines, an electronic cockpit display an gun turrets replaced with advanced radar and the electronic warfare gear.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, says that while the H6-K can’t match modern aircraft for stealth or speed it’s a potent missile carrier.

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“The H-6K can remain within a safe zone, launch its missiles that can reach targets 2,000 kilometers away," he said.

“With China developing hypersonic weapons in recent years, its attack range and speed could become even greater than a conventional cruise missile, potentially capable of taking out targets deep within hostile territories 3,000 kilometres away within just a few minutes.”

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The bomber has hard points for six such missiles. Chinese media reports the hypersonic upgrade mention that the H-6 is expected to work in concert with China’s new J-20 stealth fighters.

That seems to imply in a "first strike" scenario the fighters would blind US commanders by taking out AWACs and other aerial command and control assets while the H-6 demolished ground stations.

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Wang Ya’nan believes that’s the plan: “The J-20 could partner with the H-6K and clear the sky by shooting down hostile aerial hubs such as early warning aircraft and tanker aircraft, while the H-6K will scorch land hubs such as command centres and missile positions.”

China has around 150 serviceable H-6s. Each has a combat range of around 2,000 miles – more with mid-air refuelling.

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While the H-6 would be unlikely to last long in a close-range (under 100 miles) engagement with current USAF fighters it would be a powerful asset if China were to launch a surprise invasion of Taiwan, something that military observers have long speculated might be China’s game plan.

With US forces taken out of play in the first few minutes of such an operation, the Chinese forces could well into the contested island almost unopposed.

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