Fact You May Not Know: China Has Its Very Own 'B-52' Bomber

来源: Tiger666 于 2017-10-23 03:48:35 [档案] [旧帖] [给我悄悄话] 本文已被阅读：次 (13716 bytes)

Sebastien Roblin,The National Interest 9 hours ago

Sebastien Roblin

Security, Asia

Welcome to the H-6.

Fact You May Not Know: China Has Its Very Own 'B-52' Bomber

When the Tu-16 was designed in the 1950s, the intent was for strategic bombers to overfly hostile cities and military installations, and rain gravity bombs—conventional or nuclear—on top of them. The World War II–era roots of the concept were even reflected in the H-6’s defensive armament of six twenty-three-millimeter automatic cannons stationed in the belly, tail and top turret, and a seventh in the aircraft’s “glazed” (glass) nose, intended to shoot up hostile fighters. However, this approach was clearly untenable by the 1960s, as surface-to-air missiles and supersonic jet fighters with long-range radar-guided missiles entered widespread use.

China, Russia and the United States are the only countries to operate long-range strategic bombers in significant numbers. Like the American B-52 or Russian Tu-95 Bear currently in service, China's H-6 dates back to the early 1950s. Up to 180 H-6s have been produced over the years, the majority of which continue to serve in the People’s Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) and Naval Air Force. Unlike China’s newer warplanes, the cruise-missile toting bomber has actually been tested in battle.