Two PLA H-6 bombers detected over Japanese strait

[KingsOfTheDay]

Two PLA H-6 bombers detected over Japanese strait
Staff Reporter 2013-09-09 16:45

Two H-6 strategic bombers. (Internet Photo)

Two H-6G strategic bombers belonging to the People's Liberation Army Air Force were spotted over the airspace of the Miyako Strait, a waterway between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, in the morning of Sep. 8, according to Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.

The incident occurred following news that Tokyo has been selected as the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, and it may have been an attempt by China to warn Japan not be too "self-satisfied," the report said. It may also be a warning to Tokyo that the territorial dispute between the two nations is not over despite the brief meeting between China's president Xi Jinping and Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe during the G20 summit last week.

Equipped with YJ-83K and YJ-12 anti-ship missiles, the H-6G strategic bomber is a significant threat to the surface combat vessels of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, the report said. According to China's defense ministry, it is not the first time for Chinese aircraft to conduct training activities over the First Island Chain — which extends from Alaska to the Philippines. The ministry added that the H-6s have the right to operate in the international waters of the Western Pacific just like the United States and Japan. Meanwhile, a Chinese Y-8 observation aircraft was also spotted over the waterway on Jul. 24.

An advanced version of the H-6K strategic bomber recently entered service in both the PLA Air Force and Navy. With a combat radius of 3,500 kilometers and CJ-10 cruise missile, the H-6K is able to attack strategic targets over Guam and the Strait of Malacca. Insiders said that the new bomber embodies the power of the PLA to project its force into the Western Pacific and the South China Sea.

According to the Toyko-based Sankei Shimbun, emergency take-off missions are being conducted by the fighters of Japan Air Self Defense Force in the run up to the first anniversary of the nationalization of the disputed Diaoyu (Diaoyutai or Senkaku) islands. The territory has been under Japanese control since 1972, but are also claimed by Taiwan and China. The Japanese government nationalized the islands after signing a deal to buy three of the five major islets in the chain from their private owner in September last year.