Airshow China 2022 Chinese Air Force H 6K strategic bombers to be armed with new ALBM air launched ballistic missile 3Two of the new missiles were carried by a Xi’an Aircraft Company (XAC) H-6K bomber, which arrived in Zhuhai, in South China’s Guangdong Province, on 3 November for participating in Airshow China 2022.
Two of the new missiles were carried by a Xi’an Aircraft Company (XAC) H-6K bomber, which arrived in Zhuhai, in South China’s Guangdong Province, on 3 November for participating in Airshow China 2022 from 8 to 13 November.
As reported by Thomas Newdick in The War Zone and by other media, a new air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) for Chinese Air Force’s Xi’an H-6K bombers has been spotted. While its origins are unconfirmed, the missile looks very similar to the CM-401, previously known as a truck- or ship-launched anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that is also capable of hitting static land targets. According to Janes, the projectile is an air-launched hypersonic missile. The weapons system appears to be similar to the Russian Kh‐47M2 Kinzhal (AS-24 ‘Killjoy’) ALBM. However, the new Chinese missile has a sleeker nose section, an aerodynamic body with a different control tailfins design, and a change in the position of the launching lugs.