The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released far-reaching images on Monday H-6-bombers during the exercises Justice Mission-2025 were armed with air-launched cruise missiles near Taiwan, according to communications from the Eastern Theater Command.
The aircraft shown in the official footage were armed 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.
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According to the published material, the bomber formations conducted long-range maritime attack exercises, with an emphasis on long-range operations, coordinated attack operations and joint precision action.
The PLA said the exercises assessed the armed forces’ ability to conduct operations beyond the island chain, integrating air, sea, land and missile units. The Eastern Theater Command described the activities as focused on blockade scenarios and the coordination of long-range strikes.
The YJ-12 is designed to penetrate modern sea-based air defense systems at high speed. Academic publications and military analyzes give the missile an estimated range of 250 to 400 kilometers, depending on the launch profile, and speeds from around Mach 2 at low altitude to over Mach 3 when launched from higher altitudes. Estimates of the mass of the warhead vary between around 200 and up to 500 kilograms, with part of the destructive effect also being attributed to the high kinetic energy in the final phase.
Comparisons in international studies suggest that the YJ-12’s range could exceed that of Western anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon, while allowing launches outside the operational range of naval systems such as the SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM – depending on operational conditions.
The H-6 bomber, a platform in service with the PLA Air Force and Naval Aviation for decades, has been gradually adapted to employ modern long-range weapons. Equipped with air-launched anti-ship missiles, the aircraft will be used for long-range maritime attack missions from mainland China.
The Justice Mission-2025 exercises are ongoing and, according to Beijing, involve various branches of the Chinese armed forces in joint operations around Taiwan.
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Source and images: Defence Blog | Telegram @china3army. This content was created with the support of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
