Xian H-6

Xian H-6
275px
Type	Strategic Medium bomber
Manufacturer	Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation
Maiden flight	1959
Status	Active service
Primary users	PLA Air Force Egyptian Air Force Iraqi Air Force
Number built	>150
Developed from	Tupolev Tu-16

The Xian H-6 is a license-built copy of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine jet bomber, built for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Delivery of the Tu-16 to China began in 1958, and the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) signed a license production agreement with the USSR to build the type in the late 1950s. The first Chinese Tu-16, or "H-6" as it was designated in Chinese service, flew in 1959. Production was performed by the plant at Xian, with at least 150 built into the 1990s. China is estimated to currently operate around 120 of the aircraft.

History

The first domestically produced H-6 was completed in 1968 and evidence of bombing training was recorded by U.S. spy satellites on Aug. 13. 1971. By March of the following year, the CIA estimated that the PRC had 32 aircraft operational with an additional 19 awaiting completion.

The H-6 was used to drop nine nuclear devices at the Lop Nur testsite. However, with the increased development in ballistic missile technology, the nuclear delivery capabilities that the H-6 offered diminished in importance. The CIA estimated in 1976 that the H-6 had moved over to a dual nuclear/conventional bombing role.

Developed versions

File:Hong-6, PLA Airforce, China.jpg

Hong-6

Along with the H-6 free-fall bomber, an "H-6A" nuclear bomber was built, as well as an "H-6B" reconnaissance variant, "H-6C" conventional bomber and "H-6E" nuclear bomber with improved countermeasures, and the "H-6D" antiship missile carrier. The H-6D was introduced in the early 1980s and carried a C-601 antishipping missile (NATO codename "Silkworm", an air-launched derivative of the Soviet P-500 Permit / NATO "Styx") under each wing. The H-6D featured various modernized systems and sports an enlarged radome under the nose. The H-6 has also been used as a tanker and drone launcher. Later H-6 production featured extended curved wingtips.

Many H-6A and H-6C aircraft were updated in the 1990s to the "H-6F" configuration, the main improvement being a modern navigation system, with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation receiver, Doppler navigation radar, and inertial navigation system. New production began in the 1990s as well, with Xian building the "H-6G", which is a director for ground-launched cruise missiles; the "H-6H", which carries two land-attack cruise missiles; and now the "H-6M" cruise missile carrier, which has four pylons for improved cruise missiles and is fitted with a terrain-following system. Apparently these variants have no internal bomb capability, and most or all of their defensive armament has been deleted.

Variants

• Xian H-6 - Chinese medium bomber aircraft, Tupolev Tu-16 produced under license. One prototype conducted China’s first aerial nuclear weapon test at Lop Nor on May 14th 1965
• Xian H-6A - Nuclear bomber.
• Xian H-6C - Improved H-6A with better EW/ECM suite.
• Xian H-6D (H-6-IV) - PLANAF anti-ship missile bomber, armed with two YJ-6 (C-601/CAS-1 Kraken) anti-ship missiles (the air launched version of Silkworm missile, later upgraded to either two C-301 supersonic anti-ship missiles, or four C-101 supersonic anti-ship missiles. An upgraded version, capable of carrying four YJ-8 (C-801) anti-ship missiles is currently under development.
• Xian H-6E - Strategic nuclear bomber version, entered service in 1980s.
• Xian H-6F - Mid-life upgrade for H-6A and H-6C in 1990s. New integrated navigation system, GPS, and doppler radar.
• Xian H-6H - Missile-bomber version developed in late 1990s, armed with two KD-63 land-attack cruise missile (LACM). First successful test in 2002, possibly entered service in 2004-2005.
• Xian H-6K - Unconfirmed designation (possibly a modified H-6H) reported by Jane's Information Group and others in September 2006. Reports noted Chinese press had published photographs of a prototype carrying unknown missiles resembling the Soviet-designed Raduga Kh-55 intermediate-range, land attack cruise missile.
• Xian H-6U - PLAAF airborne tanker with two under-wing refuelling pods.
• Xian H-6DU - PLANAF airborne tanker conversion from H-6D.
• Xian H-6M - Stand-off missile carrier version. No internal bomb bay (claimed to have saved/reduced 400kg in weight), designed to carry up to 4 YJ-83 (C-803) anti-ship cruise missile or an air-launched variant of the YJ-62 (C-602) long range, anti-ship cruise missile. Said to be equipped with terrain following radar for low-altitude flight. Production of this variant is believed to have resumed in early 2006.
• Xian H-6 Testbed - One H-6 with serial number # 086 was converted to engine testbed and remained in service for 20 years, until it was eventually replaced by a converted Ilyushin Il-76 for engine testbed.

Operators

Template:PRC

• People's Liberation Army Air Force : 80-120 upgraded H-6 in service

Template:EGY

• Egyptian Air Force : "Some" H-6s acquired in mid-1970s along with spares for the Egyptian Tu-16 fleet. Last aircraft retired in 2000.

Template:IRQ

• Iraqi Air Force : Four H-6s acquired during Iran-Iraq War. All destroyed in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Specifications (Tu-16)

An orthographically projected diagram of the Tupolev Tu-16.

Data from Sinodefence.com

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 34.8 m (114 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 33.0 m (108 ft 3 in)
• Height: 10.36 m (34 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 165 m² (1,775 ft²)
• Empty weight: 37,200 kg (82,000 lb)
• Loaded weight: 76,000 kg (168,000 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 79,000 kg (174,000 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Xian WP8 turbojets, 93.2 kN (20,900 lbf) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,050 km/h (567 knots, 656 mph)
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.75 (768 km/h, 477 mph)
• Range: 6,000 km (3,200 nm, 3,700 mi)
• Combat radius: 1,800 km (970 nm, 1,100 mi)
• Service ceiling: 12,800 m (42,000 ft)
• Wing loading: 460 kg/m² (94 lb/ft²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.24

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 2× 23 mm (0.906 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannon in remote dorsal turret
  • 2× NR-23 cannon in remote maventral turret
  • 2× NR-23 cannon in manned tail turret
  • 1× NR-23 cannon in nose (occasional addition)
• Missiles:
  
  • 1× Kh-10 (AS-2 'Kipper') anti-ship missile semi-recessed in bomb bay or
  • 1× Kh-26 (AS-6 'Kingfish') anti-ship missile on port underwing hardpoint or
  • 6 or 7 Kd-88
• Bombs: 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) of free-fall weapons

External links

• H-6 Medium Bomber
• Xian H-6 Badger

See also

Related development

• Tupolev Tu-16

Comparable aircraft

• Avro Vulcan

Active aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force

Bombers: H-6
Fighters: J-7 · J-8 · J-10 · J-11 · Q-5 · Su-27 · Su-30MKK · JH-7
Reconnaissance: HZ-5 · JZ-5 · JZ-6 · JZ-7 · JZ-8 · Tu-154M
Tanker: H-6 · Il-78
Transport: 737-300/700 · CL 601 · Il-76 · Tu-154 · Y-8 · Y-11 · Y-12 · Y-5 · Y-7

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Xian H-6".