BEIJING – US analysts warn that the Chinese strategic bomber Xian H-6 would have been modified to carry missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers.

The Chinese military has changed its newest version of the bomber Xian H-6 so that it can carry anti-ship ballistic missiles, according to the portal The Drive.

Experts came to this conclusion after analyzing new images of the aircraft, which suggest that it was now equipped with huge air-surface hypersonic missiles designed to target large-displacement warships. In these photos, at the bottom of the fuselage of the apparatus is visible a convex cavity, whose function could be to house such weapons.

New photos point to the Chinese bomber being able to carry huge anti-ship ballistic missiles.

The photos of three Xian H-6 bombers flying over Beijing were taken during rehearsals of the military parade in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, scheduled for October 1.

According to the information, the aircraft’s fairing hides an aerial version of the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, which gives the aircraft an impressive ability to stand up to large enemy warships, in particular aircraft carriers.

Reports published by the US military intelligence, cited by the portal, note that the DF-21D missile, only in its surface-to-surface version, has a range of about 1,500 kilometers.

Analysts believe that at least four of these planes are currently part of a People’s Liberation Army Air Force bomber brigade , under the Chinese Central Command.

In 2018, The Diplomat magazine reported , citing anonymous sources, that the aerial version of this missile, which uses composite materials and dispenses with additional thrust because it is launched from the air, could reach targets about 3,000 kilometers away.

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