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Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 2 first)
Another possible explanation for the H-6N modifications was published in the South China Morning Post. That article speculated that the H-6N would be capable of carrying the new big supersonic semi-autonomous drones that were also shown during the National Day parades.
An anonymous military source told the Post that “The semi-recessed area under the fuselage of the H-6N is designed to carry either the WZ-8 or the CJ-100.” The WZ-8 is a supersonic drone. The CJ/DF-100 is a big new missile.
The Chinese have bragged in the past about preparing a ballistic missile capability for its strategic bombers. Last August, the Chinese Global Times stated that the H-6 was “expected to be armed with hypersonic weapons.” Such weapons required ballistic missiles in order to boost them up to five times the speed of sound.
Li Peng is a H-6K pilot. He told the Chinese Central Television (CCTV) service that “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 3000 kilometres away within just a few minutes.” The unique appearance of the H-6N strategic bomber suggests that such capabilities are nearing deployment.
The CJ/DF-100 missile is bigger than the CJ-10 missile currently carried by the H-6K bomber. This would require that the CJ/DF-100 be mounted on sturdier attachment points under the fuselage instead of being mounted on underwing pylons. This would explain the recessed fuselage on the H-6N. The CJ/DF-100 would allow a supersonic strike range of two thousand kilometers which would add five hundred kilometers to the range of the older CJ-10. The anonymous source told the Post that “So, in theory, the CJ-100 could take the H-6N’s strike range to about 6000 kilometres.”
In recent years China has been concerned about the power of the U.S. navy aircraft carrier strike groups. They have sought to counter this by developing long-range, ultra-fast guided missiles. The intention would be to overwhelm the escorts and defenses of the nuclear-powered U.S. carriers long before the carrier could send out their strike aircraft.
The 2018 China Power Report from the Pentagon stated that China tested a Dong-Feng-12 medium ballistic missile modified to be mounted on aircraft. A more recent report said that DF-15 and DF-21 ballistic missiles are being modified so they can be launched by H-6N strategic bombers. The DF-15 carries a conventional warhead and the DF-21 carries a nuclear warhead.
The U.S. aircraft carriers will have to sail through an expanded “danger zone” before they will be able to deploy their F-35 stealth fighters and missiles against an enemy. The H-6N Chinese bombers will be able to force Western navies to cross a six thousand kilometer danger zone.
China does admit that their bombers will face serious challenges in any conflict. The H-6 strategic bombers do not have stealth technology to protect them. If China wants to hit targets far off in the Pacific Ocean, they will have to run a gauntlet of defensive weaponry between Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. A Peoples Liberation Army statement was released which said, “The new bomber is still unable to break the first island chain because it is not a stealth bomber and is easier to detect by an opponent’s radar systems.” There have been no details released on the next generation stealth Xian H-20 which is expected to be deployed in 2025.