In the Network appeared shooting a bomber with a giant aeroballistic missile
China is equipping strategic bombers of the family, "Han-six" (NATO designation: "Xian H-6", code-Badger, translated from English - "badger") a huge hypersonic missile. This is evidenced by photos and videos taken by local aviation enthusiasts-spoters and posted on the Network. The projectile 10-11 m long (according to some Taiwanese sources, the length is about 13 m, the diameter is about 1 m) is attached to the Central hitch Assembly and is located in a semi-submerged position under the fuselage of the H-6N modification aircraft.
The images that appeared this fall, although they aroused great interest in the world aviation community, did not become a sensation. Since the prospect of such a "pre-equipment" of this type of aircraft has been discussed in the West for quite a long time. The corresponding assumptions were made by experts based on the analysis of the changed shape of the center section. From the early modifications of the "Badger" version of the H-6N differs "compressed" (concave inside) fuselage. The corresponding decision of aircraft designers can only be explained by the desire of the creators of the aircraft to reduce the inevitable increase in the aerodynamic drag of the "plane plus rocket" configuration.
The H-6 family represents the development of the Soviet Tu-16, which was licensed to China by the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s. The original had a cargo compartment, which normally housed up to 3 tons of free – falling bombs (in overload-nine or more), which were dropped on the target through the folding doors. Early versions of the H-6 had a similar design, but it was abandoned during the evolution of the aircraft. Otherwise, the cruise vehicle would not be able to carry a new hypersonic missile, taking into account its dimensions and weight (it does not fit in the internal compartment). Simply, the original Tu-16 was too small as a carrier of such weapons, and the reserves of development of the design allowed it to be placed only under the fuselage.
Placing a large rocket on a Central pylon is a classic solution. It is also used, for example, in the case of placing an aviation version of the Indian-Russian BrahMos-A missile on a modified su-30MKI multi-purpose fighter. And also in the case of a Heavy MiG-31 fighter "pre-armed" with the latest domestic anti-ship missile "Dagger". This bundle was first shown publicly over Moscow during the aerial part of the Victory day Parade in 2018. So far, the H-6N with the new missile and the MiG-31K with the Dagger are the only two examples of strike aircraft systems designed for the use of long-range hypersonic air-to-surface missiles. The Russian rocket is about a third smaller than the Chinese one in terms of mass and overall parameters.
In the West, they began to talk about the possibility of another modification of the H-6 aircraft a few years after the appearance of the previous one-the H-6K, which entered service in 2011. At first, they could not agree on whether it would go into production or remain as an experimental one, intended only for testing a new rocket, which would then enter service with a completely new carrier aircraft? The fact is that for a more complete disclosure of the potential of the rocket, it is better to hang it under a supersonic aircraft (such as the su-30MKI and MiG-31), and the Tu-16 – subsonic. Released in September, the next edition of the Pentagon report on the state of the military-industrial complex of China clearly characterizes the H-6N as a serial machine that entered service. At the moment, this is the only type of aircraft in the nuclear triad of the people's liberation army of China (PLA). The authors of the report note that the continuous improvement of the N-6 aircraft line is reflected in the fact that the most modern of them have been able to use new types of air-to-ground missiles.
For the first time, h-6N modification aircraft were shown publicly on October 1, 2019 during the aerial part of the military parade in Tiananmen square, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the people's Republic of China. Then a trio of aircraft of this type flew over Beijing, and each carried four cruise missiles on wing pylons: a pair of anti-ship KD-63 and CJ-10 attack missiles. A similar composition of weapons is considered typical for the previous modification of the H-6K. In any case, this is how it was displayed on the static platform of the Airshow China 2018 aerospace salon in Zhuhai.
Local media describe the new weapon as "a ballistic missile with a hypersonic strike unit." Chinese experts note that with such a means of destruction, the H-6N "really becomes a real strategic bomber." Indeed, it gains the ability to strike targets across Asia, with existing air defenses not preventing them.
As a rule, a hypersonic rocket is multi-stage, with the upper stage acting as the first stage. It does not reach Mach 5 itself, but only creates the appropriate conditions for the second stage, which can be a high-speed maneuvering unit. "The main difference between a ballistic missile and a hypersonic one in the traditional sense is that the upper stage has been replaced with a hypersonic glider," Chinese experts explain.
An important difference between the H-6N and the previous h-6K modification is the introduction of an in-flight refueling system, which significantly increases the range and patrol time. In-flight fuel transfer is carried out from h-6U tanker aircraft, which also use the Tu-16 platform. In General, the new modification of the bomber increases the PLA's ability to project power over long distances.
According to expert Fu Kianshao, the Tu-16 aircraft, which originally belonged to the subclass of medium bombers with an intermediate range, becomes a long-range strategic missile carrier by rearmament. Adding a new long-range missile to the h-6N Arsenal significantly increases its strike potential and ability to overcome the enemy's air defense system. In short, "pre-armament" will give a serious increase in the combat value of this type of aircraft. Before the advent of hypersonic weapons, subsonic cruise missiles were the main means of destroying Chinese bombers, Fu Kianshao recalled. They are also capable of destroying targets at a great distance from the launch point, but they can (although difficult due to the extremely low altitude and low visibility) intercept existing air defense systems.
Vladimir Karnozov
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Karnozov-military analyst.