How China-Russia joint patrol highlighted limitations of Chinese bombers

Name: The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades
Uploaded: 2020-12-24T22:00:25.000Z
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades

Range and payload compared with Russian and US counterparts mean China’s jets cannot be viewed as long-distance strategic bombers, expert says

China is developing next-generation bombers to extend its military reach

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A Chinese H-6K strategic bomber, viewed from a Russian jet during Tuesday’s joint patrol. Photo: AP

Kristin Huang

Published: 6:00am, 25 Dec 2020Updated: 6:00am, 25 Dec 2020

A joint patrol between China and Russia has underlined shortcomings of Chinese bombers that could hold back Beijing’s ambitions, analysts have said.

Four Chinese H-6Ks and two Russian Tu-95s took part in a joint patrol over the western Pacific on Tuesday as part of an annual programme of military cooperation, China’s defence ministry said.

The exercise was meant to show solidarity between the two nations as they both face sanctions and pressure from the United States.

However, the Chinese bombers have limited range and payload compared with their Russian counterparts, and analysts said the contrast had implications for China’s capabilities.

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The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades

The Chinese air force has 160 to 180 H-6 bombers, among the most advanced in China. They have a range of 6,000km (3,728 miles) and a wing loading of 160kg (353lbs) per square metre. Among all the H-6 bomber variants, only the H-6N variant is capable of being refuelled in the air, resulting in a clear range weakness.