Bombers on Woody Island: China bolsters military presence in South China Sea
China employs a fait accompli strategy in the South China Sea, seizing additional parts of the area claimed by several countries. Chinese military infrastructure, including airports, is being constructed on natural or artificially created islands in shallow waters. Strategic Chinese H-6 bombers have appeared at one of these locations on Woody Island.
Woody Island—the largest in the Paracel Islands archipelago (occupied by China in the 1970s)—illustrates China's expansion in the South China Sea. This is a disputed area with claims from Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China. However, Beijing is gradually taking over additional archipelagos unilaterally by constructing military infrastructure on them.
The Chinese airport was established, among other places, on Woody Island, where HQ-9 missile launchers, developed based on the Russian S-300 system, were installed in the mid-2000s. With a range of up to 200 kilometres, the Chinese missiles have created an anti-aircraft "umbrella" over the entire archipelago.
Recently, after several years of absence, Beijing sent a pair of strategic H-6 bombers, Y-20 transport planes (built by adopting solutions from American C-17s), and a KJ-500 early warning aircraft to Woody. The Chinese aircraft are visible in satellite images.
H-6K bombers - A threat to US Navy aircraft carriers
The H-6 bomber is a very old design—a licensed Chinese version of the Soviet Tu-16 bomber from the 1950s. Despite its age, due to significant upgrades, its new versions—like the H-6K or the "nuclear" H-6N—are a valuable asset for Beijing.
The H-6 aircraft is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and cruise missiles, and due to its range, it can perform strikes beyond the "first island chain." This is an imaginary line running from the southern tips of Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo. The area is within the range of Chinese tactical aviation and some anti-aircraft systems.
Thanks to H-6K/N bombers, supported by YY-20 aerial refueling aircraft (a version of the Y-20 formerly known as the Y-20U), China can execute strikes far beyond controlled areas, attacking locations such as the island and base of Guam, crucial for the American presence in the Pacific.
The armaments carried by the H-6 include, among others, YJ-12 anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometres and a speed of Mach 4, considered a significant threat to the U.S. Navy, including aircraft carriers.
