A report by the Pentagon underlines the increased capacity of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) to extend its operational range to the island of Guam.
The Chinese continue with the refinement of the integrated air defense system that covers the continental space and the surrounding waters, up to 300 miles from the coast. This apparatus is being expanded thanks to the installation of detection radar and surface-air systems on artificial atolls created in the South China Sea.
The report also mentions the introduction into service of the 5 generation J-20 fighter; even if at the moment there are only a few dozen units on the line, in the medium term - once the problems afflicting the engines and the radar have been resolved - it will become a very fearsome air carrier, thanks to the use of the new hypersonic air-to-air missiles long haul (about 300 km) under development.
However, a sector in which PLAAF pays special attention is that of strategic bombers, such as the H-6K, in fact a part of them will be prepared for air refueling in such a way as to extend its autonomy. With the ability to carry up to six CJ-20 cruise missiles, the H-6K are able to hit American targets on the island of Guam.
In the last two years the Chinese have given a strong impulse to the long-range missions of the bombers. In Beijing's 2016 aircraft have circumnavigated the island of Taiwan, highlighting the ability of PLAAF to hit from any direction. In the same year it touched Japan, with the first flights on the Sea of Japan of two bombers; while in the 2017 the H-6K went to the Miyako Strait (between Taiwan and Okinawa), once on the Pacific they headed north-east, going up the coast of the Japanese archipelago for over 1.000 km to the island of Kii .
It is therefore undeniable that these flights have the purpose of sending a clear strategic message to the countries of the region, which enjoy the protective umbrella of Washington.
(photo: MoD of the People's Republic of China)
