The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released images on Monday showing long-range H-6 bombers armed with air-launched cruise missiles during the Justice Mission-2025 exercises, conducted near Taiwan, according to statements from the Eastern Theater Command.
The aircraft shown in the official images were equipped with two air-to-surface missiles identified by open-source analysts as the YJ-12, a supersonic anti-ship missile developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
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According to the released material, the bomber formations conducted long-range maritime strike training, focusing on long-distance deployment, coordinated strike operations, and joint precision engagement.
The PLA stated that the exercises assessed the forces’ ability to conduct operations beyond the island chain, integrating air, naval, ground, and missile assets. The Eastern Theater Command described the activities as oriented toward blockade scenarios and the coordination of long-range strike operations.
The YJ-12 is designed to penetrate modern naval air-defense systems at high speed. Academic publications and military analyses attribute an estimated range of between 250 and 400 kilometers to the missile, depending on the launch profile, as well as speeds ranging from approximately Mach 2 in sea-skimming flight to more than Mach 3 when launched from higher altitude. Assessments of the warhead mass vary, ranging from about 200 to as much as 500 kilograms, with part of the destructive power also attributed to the high kinetic energy in the terminal phase.
Comparisons made in international studies indicate that the YJ-12’s range may exceed that of Western anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon, and that it allows launches from outside the engagement envelope of naval systems such as the SM-2 and the RIM-162 ESSM, depending on operational conditions.
The H-6 bomber, a platform that has been in service for decades with the PLA Air Force and Naval Aviation, has undergone successive adaptations to employ modern stand-off attack weapons. When equipped with air-launched anti-ship missiles, the aircraft is used in long-range maritime strike missions from mainland Chinese territory.
The Justice Mission-2025 exercises are ongoing and, according to Beijing, integrate different branches of the Chinese armed forces in joint operations in the vicinity of Taiwan.
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Source and images: Defence Blog | Telegram @china3army. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
