Taiwan and China send H-6 nuclear bombers: “They are aircraft carrier killers”

China’s show of force in Taiwan’s skies. Since 5:00 am local time today, 37 Chinese military aircraft have entered the airspace of the island that Beijing wants to “reunify”, as announced on several occasions. The aircraft “including J-11, J-16, H-6, YU-20 and AWACS”, said the Taipei Ministry of Defense, flew over the area and “subsequently entered the airspace of southwest Taiwan. Taiwan’s military are monitoring the situation closely and have dispatched CAP aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems in response.” The area crossed by the Chinese planes, informs the Taiwanese ministry, is part of the island’s air defense zone (Adiz). China has regularly flown its air force in the skies near the island for the past three years, though not within Taiwan’s territorial airspace.

The incursion is of particular concern to the United States, as Chinese H-6 bombers, including the nuclear-capable H-6N version, have also been sighted, as reported by the Taiwanese government. The aircraft are derived from the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 bomber and are capable of becoming launch pads for hypersonic missiles, including the CH-AS-X-13. The latter, reports Il Messaggero, is known as an “aircraft carrier killer” and therefore poses a threat to US fleets operating in the China Sea. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have serious consequences, not only for the stability of the area, but also for US involvement in a potential conflict. The military and navy of the two countries have had numerous “dangerous crossings” in recent times, from the near-miss between jets to the avoided collision between two warships. However, meetings at the highest levels of intelligence have recently been held to ease tensions between Washington and Beijing.