An article in the Diplomat (October 12) reported that the People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) has acquired Xian-H-6J anti-ship cruise missile-carrying bombers, according to satellite imagery taken on September 7. Analysis of the satellite images showed that the first four H-6J bombers — assumed to be the naval variant of the upgraded H-6K — were on the ground at the PLANAF air base at Guiping-Mengshu in Guangxi in early September. The H-6Js are presumably replacing H-6G maritime striker bombers, which first entered service with the PLANAF in the early 1990s. The PLA South Sea Fleet currently operates an H-6G regiment consisting of approximately 14-18 aircraft. In comparison to the older variant, the H-6J variant has new airframes, lighter weight composites, new fuel efficient D-30-KP2 turbofans, advanced avionics, and a full glass cockpit. The bomber has been fitted with a new long-range surface search radar and an electro-optical targeting pod for target acquisition.It is thought to be able to carry about three times the number of anti-ship missiles, conduct sorties and patrols over nearly the entire South China Sea with two mid-air refuels, and at 3,500 kilometers boasts an increased combat radius of around 50 percent.

 The new PLANAF bombers are likely affiliated to the 23rd Regiment, 8th Naval Aviation Division assigned to the PLA Southern Theater Command. would be capable of conducting sorties and patrols over nearly the entirety of the South China Sea with two mid-air refuels. 

(Comment: IHS Jane’s reported (October 11) that “The aircraft at Guiping-Mengshu are assessed to be a variant of the H-6K, which has been in service with the PLAAF  since 2011" without elaborating on the exact H-6 variant. H-6Ks and H-6Gs have noticeably stepped up combat patrols in the South and East China Seas, including the strategically Miyako Strait, in recent years.)