Launched from high-altitudes by the H-6K, the missile would have a significantly improved range, with powerful kinematic performance in its terminal phase.
Nearly two and a half months after a PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force) H-6K was captured in a footage dropping one 2PZD-21 (or KD-21) ALBM (Air-Launched Ballistic Missile), the strategic bomber has now been seen carrying what looks like four of those weapons in another set of images that appeared online. The pictures point to Chinese efforts to possess a diverse range of land, sea and air-launched missiles to be used against land and maritime targets in a confrontation with the US-led alliance and an operation on Taiwan.
(Images via @南部空军 from Weibo) pic.twitter.com/o6cEAuGNza
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) June 29, 2024
Four missiles
There’s been some debate online about the number of missiles carried by the H-6K in the new images. Take a look at the image below, and the shapes marked with numbers 1, 2 and 3.
Some analysts suggested that just two missiles (one under each wing) are visible in the image: 1 on the central pylon of the left wing and 3, under the right wing, with 2 being just a shadow of the missile 1.
If this was the case, for symmetric load reasons, missile 1 and 3 would be carried on the same pylons (the central pylon outboard of the of the landing gear legs).
However, further analysis shows that missile 3 is carried on the inner right wing’s pylon: this is proved by the fact that the missile 3 partly covers the right wheel and the landing gear leg. If that missile was carried on the central pylon (like missile 1), it would not cover the right landing gear (see the inset in the image below for clarity, you can clearly see that the missile is carried in the pylon between the right landing gear leg and the fuselage).
For sure, the distance between the missile 2 and its pylons is different than missile 1 and its pylon, however, we have never seen the KD-21 carried on the inner pylon so we can’t be sure the distance is the same as in the central pylon. Moreover, 2 can’t be a shadow: if it were a shadow, it would be projected on just half of missile 3, as there is nothing under the fuselage; instead, the photo shows 2 as a continuous shape on a single plane.
H-6K Missile Test Raises Questions Amid China’s A2/AD Strategy
Two months ago, official footage of military exercises in state media showed an H-6K dropping one of those missiles. Experts are still uncertain whether the weapon ignited and fired following a proper launch procedure or if it was just a release test. That aspect is, however, still uncertain as it has not been captured in the video.
This work is part of the larger Chinese A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area-Denial) strategy that believes in tackling an enemy from a distance with ultra long-range weapons, attritable unmanned platforms and strong kill chains, minimizing the need for force-on-force contact.
China’s H-6K is a heavily modernized and capable locally built derivative of the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-16 Badger, with new engines, redesigned nacelles, and a host of new generation electronics, avionics, satellite terminals and data-linking capabilities. It also has an EO (Electro-Optical) turret on the chin under the nose for secondary ISR (Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance) capabilities.
The missile in question, the 2PZD-21/KD-21, has also been assessed to be an air-launched variant of the CM-401 ASBM (Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile). The missile has a sharper nose cone, with the aerodynamically-friendly design that aids air-flow around the body suggesting it is meant for high, possibly supersonic speeds in the terminal phase before it reaches its targets.
Growing capability
A launch from the air, especially from high-altitudes, by the H-6K bomber would significantly improve the missile’s range, with powerful kinematic performance in its terminal phase. The missile was first seen at the Zhuhai Air Show in Nov. 2022 slung under the left wing of an H-6K with the serial number 11097.
The photo of the H-6K carrying the four KD-21/2PZD-21 is seen in low daylight hours, reflecting the all-weather capability training the crew is being imparted. Two missiles are seen on two of the hardpoints of the left wing, with a third also visible on the other side, carried under the right wing. The right wing is likely carrying another missile, totalling four units.
Talking about the previous video showing the H-6 releasing the KD-21, leading Chinese military aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht, who posted the pictures on X, said it is not clear if it is just a “drop test, an actual launch or if it was an operational launch missile or a prototype in its early development form.” He later added “the big news however is that indeed for the first time, four were carried.”
5月1日メーデー特番内に登場したH-6K爆撃機。
2PZD-21 ALBMの実弾発射シーンがあります。 pic.twitter.com/68uxH3Eazz— お砂糖wsnbn (@sugar_wsnbn) May 1, 2024
Rupprecht believes the missile is not a prototype, as it should have “colorful or some sort of calibration markings.” The H-6 seen carrying the weapon is also an operational bomber, but its unit is unknown. The serial number of the bomber carrying the four missiles is not visible.
Given the peer competitor represented by the U.S. Navy that the PLAAF would be fighting with this weapon, Chinese commanders would launch the missiles either in a salvo, or a coordinated, synchronized action with other fires, deployed by land and sea-based platforms, at adversary fleets.
As has been touched upon in earlier analysis, China places a high premium on enhanced situational awareness, battlefield surveillance and strikes from the H-6K. The use of the KD-21 would be carefully chosen at opportune times for swiftly disabling or sinking an enemy carrier, while the rest of its CBG (Carrier Battle Group) would be busy contending with PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) warships, carrier-borne fighter bombers and land-fired carrier-killing DF-21Ds ASBM (Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles).
Hypersonic missile for slow moving aircraft carriers
Global Times said the photo, which was published on the WeChat account of the PLA Southern Command, shows the “H-6K bomber taking off ahead of a mid-night exercise at an undisclosed date in the summer.” Also identifying the missile as the YJ-21, the publication cited experts who said the ALBM is capable of hitting “stationary” and “slowly moving targets, including aircraft carriers, at hypersonic speeds from extended distances.”
So far the best images of the H-6K serial number 11097 with the new ballistic missile under its wings.
(Images via @航空工业 and @瘦驼 from Weibo) pic.twitter.com/XfcwQ8fqqn
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) November 3, 2022
The picture also dispels an earlier belief that the H-6 can carry only two such missiles. In fact, the photo “revealed that the H-6K bomber has sufficient payload capacity and its wings has sufficient structural strength,” an unnamed expert said in the report. “The additional missiles on the H-6K can significantly increase the PLA Air Force’s long-range precision strike capabilities in anti-access/area denial missions.”
About Parth Satam
Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.
About Stefano D'Urso
Stefano D'Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he's also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.
