China is building a new bomber and will showcase a model in the military parade in Beijing next week.
The new bomber is a refitted model independently developed for long-distance precision strikes and will be was loosely based on a previous bomber model, but 90 per cent has been refitted, Bao Lianjing, leading pilot of the parade debut formation, said.
"Besides the tiller and the rudder, everything else has been upgraded," Bao was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency ahead of the military parade on September 3.
"The new aircraft requires only half the crew needed for the previous one, which means the pilots must multi-task between controlling the craft, communication, air situation assessment and weapon control," the report quoted military sources as saying.