China says it has landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maneuvers putting Beijing at odds with its neighbors and Washington over China’s growing military presence around disputed islands.
The South China Sea is one of the most contested regions in the world, with overlapping territorial claims by multiple countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
Over the past few years China has been rapidly transforming various reefs and inlets into artificial islands to install military infrastructure. Some experts have called them „unsinkable aircraft carriers.“
A Twitter post by the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, shows video of a long-range bomber taking off, flying, and landing on one of the islands. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies‘ Asia Maritime Transparency Inititative (AMTI) said it was thought to be Woody Island, China’s largest base in the Paracel Islands and the only one with an airstrip long enough to allow bomber landings.
The move is a strategic accomplishment for China to further reinforce its military and political power in the disputed waters.
Upgrading capabilities
The H-6K is a considerable upgrade from the fighter jets believed to have previously landed on the islands. China’s top-of-the-line bomber is capable of reaching a nearly 1,900-nautical-mile (3,500-kilometer) radius. Flying the twin-engine bombers out of Woody Island would mean the entirety of Southeast Asia is within combat flight range, experts say.
„The H-6K is significant because it provides Beijing with longer-ranging bomber capabilities that can drop precision-guided munitions on both ground and sea targets,“ Rand Corp. defense analyst Derek Grossman said in an email to CNN.
„Moreover, landing the bomber on Woody Island provides an opportunity for Chinese pilots to train under realistic circumstances,“ Grossman said.
While Woody Island sits in the central South China Sea, the AMTI says satellite imagery indicates China has built near identical operational runways at its three main outposts in the Spratly Islands known as Mischief, Subi and Fiery Cross Reef, which sit near the southern extent of the sea.
