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For the first time, the Chinese military has publicly demonstrated the operational deployment of its airborne nuclear strike capability, completing the final leg of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) nuclear triad.
In a video clip jointly released on August 4 by the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and China Media Group, an H-6N strategic bomber is shown flying alongside two J-20 stealth fighter jets. Beneath its fuselage, the bomber carried what appears to be a JL-1 nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM).
The footage depicts a simulated combat scenario in which a joint command headquarters executes a coordinated strike against an enemy fleet after receiving orders.
Additional cutting-edge PLA weapon systems showcased in the production include the DF-21D road-mobile anti-ship ballistic missile system, the YJ-20 shipborne hypersonic anti-ship missile, and the YJ-12 air-launched supersonic anti-ship missile.
The PLA has not yet released additional operational details, including the specific exercise involved or the exact timing of the flight.
Technically, the JL-1 is a two-stage, solid-fuel ALBM derived from the land-based DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile. Its aerodynamic design features a single, large centerline configuration engineered for external carriage beneath a semi-recessed weapons station on the H-6N bomber.
The missile measures roughly 11 meters in length and is reported to utilize advanced inertial and satellite navigation systems integrated with terminal maneuvering capabilities. It features a dual-capable payload section engineered to deploy either a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) or a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), armed with either a strategic nuclear warhead or a conventional high-explosive payload.
Depending on the launch bomber’s speed and altitude, this propulsion and aerodynamic design enables an estimated operational strike range between 3,000 and 8,000 kilometers.
While a parade in Beijing previously marked the initial declassification of the system alongside strategic nuclear platforms like the DF-31-series and DF-5-series intercontinental ballistic missiles, this video represents the first public unveiling of the PLA Air Force operating the platform in a flight environment.
Historically, the absence of a viable air-based nuclear delivery system represented a notable gap in China’s nuclear deterrence posture. Now, this gap has been closed.
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