A Chinese-built and progressively redesigned development of the Tu-16 that became a long-lived bomber and missile-carrier family.
Development
Xi’an H-6 was developed by Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation in People’s Republic of China as a bomber. The family first flew in 1959 and entered service in 1969. Its recorded airframe configuration is fixed wing, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.
Operational History
Operationally, Xi’an H-6 is represented primarily in the bomber role. The sourced variant records include service with People’s Liberation Army Air Force and People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force. The current structured record does not attach a specific conflict authority to this family; operational context remains limited to sourced service and role data. Role tags attached to the family include strategic bomber and nuclear strike.
Variants and Lineage
Major variants represented in the structured record include H-6A, H-6D, H-6H, H-6K, and H-6N.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| H-6A | Production | Bomber | People’s Liberation Army Air Force |
| H-6D | Production | Bomber | People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force |
| H-6H | Production | Bomber | People’s Liberation Army Air Force |
| H-6K | Production | Bomber | People’s Liberation Army Air Force |
| H-6N | Upgrade | Bomber | People’s Liberation Army Air Force |
Representative specifications
Configuration-specific profiles are shown separately so values from different variants are not blended into one false “standard” aircraft.
H-6A — C016 baseline technical profile
- Crew
- 6
Powerplant: 2 × Xian WP-8 turbojets
Armament: Bombs and, in later variants, long-range anti-ship or land-attack missiles.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- China unveils new H-6N bomber with extended range, extra capabilities — Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China · Tier 1
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976-77 — Jane’s Yearbooks · Tier 3
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987-88 — Jane’s Information Group · Tier 3
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1998-99 — Jane's Information Group · Tier 3
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2007-08 — Jane's Information Group · Tier 3