China’s bomber could reach Malacca Strait, says expert

Chinese bombers including the H-6K have the capability to cruise Malacca Strait, military analysts said after reports stating that China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force carried out landing and taking-off drills on some islands in the South China Sea.

Lan Shunzheng, a military researcher, made the statement in an interview with the Science and Technology Daily published on Friday.

“It will be no problem for H-6K to cruise the Malacca Strait, if taking off from Chinese airports in South China,” Lan said.

The PLA air force announced on Sina Weibo on May 18 that it had deployed several bombers including H-6K, and carried out landing and taking-off drills at an unidentified island airfield in “southern sea area” after carrying out simulated strike training on targets at sea.

“PLA air force’s drills signify that it already has the capability to cover the whole South China Sea, including every nation in the region, way beyond merely the Malacca Strait,” Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.

Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said at a routine press conference on Thursday that the PLA air force will continue to deploy planes to circle Taiwan, commenting on a recent deployment of H-6K bombers to cruise the island at night on May 25.