China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released images of the long-range bombers on Monday H-6 armed with air-launched cruise missiles during the exercise Justice Mission-2025which are taking place near Taiwan, the Eastern Command said.
The aircraft shown in the official images were equipped with two air-to-surface missiles, identified by open-source analysts as the YJ-12, a supersonic anti-ship missile developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
+ Click here to watch the video
According to published materials, the bomber formations conducted training in long-range naval strikes, focusing on long-range movements, coordinated offensive operations and joint precision hitting of targets.
The PLA said the exercise assessed the force’s ability to conduct operations beyond the island chain and integrate air, sea, land and missile assets. The Eastern Command described the activities as focused on blockade scenarios and coordination of long-range strike operations.
The YJ-12 missile is designed to penetrate modern naval air defense systems at high speed. Academic publications and military analyzes give it an estimated range of 250 to 400 kilometers, depending on the launch profile, and a speed ranging from about Mach 2 when flying just above the surface to more than Mach 3 when launched from a higher altitude. Estimates of the weight of the warhead vary, ranging roughly between 200 and 500 kilograms, with some of the destructive effect also attributed to the high kinetic energy in the final phase of flight.
Comparisons in international studies indicate that the YJ-12’s range can exceed Western anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon, and that under certain operational conditions it enables a launch beyond the engagement range of naval systems such as the SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM.
The H-6 bomber, a platform in service for decades with the PLA Air Force and Naval Air Force, has undergone a number of modifications to use modern weapons for long-range attacks. Equipped with air-launched anti-ship missiles, this carrier is deployed for long-range naval strike missions from mainland China.
The Justice Mission-2025 exercises are ongoing and, according to Beijing, include joint operations by various branches of the Chinese armed forces around Taiwan.
Source and images: Defence Blog | Telegram @china3army. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
