The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has announced plans to send its modern H-6K long-range strategic bombers to Russia to participate in the International Army Games.
According to the statement of the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) air force will send H-6K bombers, J-10A fighters, JH-7A fighter-bombers, IL-76 and Y-9 transport aircraft, and a team of airborne troops to participate in the International Army Games.
The International Army Games 2018, initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defense, will start on July 28. It is co-organized by China, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Iran.
It will be the first time that H-6K bombers have gone abroad to take part in military competitions, a spokesperson for the PLA Air Force said at a press conference.
The H-6K, a domestically-developed intermediate and long-range bomber, has flown over the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait and carried out patrols around the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan since it made its debut in March 2015.
The H-6K is designed for long-range attacks and stand-off attacks. The plane is a modified version of the older H-6, which is a licensed version of the Soviet-designed Tu-16 bomber.
China became the fourth country to build its own strategic bomber in October 2009 when this, the H-6K bomber, entered service.