The H-6K has completed the technical upgrade of the YJ-21 missile.
A few days ago, a certain media with the official background of the People's Liberation Army released a photo. Judging by this photo, the H-6K bomber carried 4 YJ-21 hypersonic missiles under the wings while on a night flight.
The YJ-21 air-to-surface ballistic missile and air-launched anti-ship ballistic missile weigh about 3 tons, while the H-6K can carry a load of 12 tons. However, the H-6K underwing pylons were unable to complete the missile mounting, which shows that the H-6K bomber has completed an important upgrade to increase the payload capacity.
The YJ-21 air-launched hypersonic missile is a two-type missile with one bomb, one for ground strikes and the other for attacking ships. The diameter of this type of missile is 850 mm, the range is 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers, the speed of the maximum shutdown point can reach 8 to 10 Mach numbers, and the terminal penetration speed in the guided state can reach 4 to 6 Mach numbers, and the performance exceeds that of the "Dagger" hypersonic missile.
If the 3,000-kilometer range of the H-6K or H-6N bomber is followed, plus the additional range of about 2,000 kilometers from air refueling, the YJ-21's ground-to-sea strike radius can exceed 5,000 kilometers. For example, the troops and bases on the front line of Guam in the United States are within the strike range of the H-6K with the YJ-21.
Therefore, the YJ-21 is an out-and-out "aircraft carrier killer" weapon, as well as a key weapon for striking Guam. At present, the PLA has a fairly large fleet of H-6K bombers in the combat sequence, and these bombers can also pose a deadly threat to the US military's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier formation.
Because 12 H-6Ks can project 48 YJ-21 air-launched hypersonic missiles into the open sea more than 4,000 kilometers away at a time, this can wipe out half of the ships of the US aircraft carrier formation strike group. The formation of such capabilities can greatly enhance the PLA's "area denial and anti-access" combat capabilities.
If it strikes in the South China Sea, within the cover radius of the Air Force's shore-based fighters, the H-6K can also hit every corner of the South China Sea. If the US aircraft carrier faces the H-6K and H-6N in the South China Sea, it will be an inescapable target, not to mention that we still have the blessing of the DF-21D and DF-26B.
On 2 May, the Theater Network, a well-known US military website, commented that as a hypersonic anti-ship missile, the YJ-21 missile is an important part of China's "area denial" strategy and a real "aircraft carrier killer."
Of course, China will never be satisfied with the capabilities of the current bomber fleet. In fact, bombers like the H-6K and H-6N have become transitional bombers of the Chinese Air Force. However, before the advent of the H-20, the H-6 series will remain the backbone of the Chinese Air Force's long-range air deterrence and "area denial" strategy, which will effectively deter any rash action against China.