Chinese H-6 Bomber Carrying KD-21 Hypersonic Missile Spotted During Exercise

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has been seen operating the H-6K bomber armed with KD-21 air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), according to footage from a military exercise.

The KD-21 resembles Russia’s Kinzhal missile, with high-speed, steep-angle descent making it difficult to intercept. While some sources initially labeled it YJ-21 (suggesting an anti-ship role), its KD-series designation indicates a primary land-attack focus, similar to Russia’s Iskander-based Kinzhal.

Images from Chinese state media show an H-6K carrying two KD-21 missiles, marking the first confirmed sighting of this weapon on an operational bomber. Imagery suggests deployment by the PLAAF’s 10th Bomber Division, 29th Air Regiment, under the Eastern Theater Command, which focuses on Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The Chinese government has not provided official details on the missile’s technical specifications or its intended operational role.

The KD-21 was first seen publicly at Airshow China in Zhuhai in November 2022, marked with the designation “2PZD-21.” China is also developing a larger ALBM, the CH-AS-X-13 (possibly KF-21), believed to be nuclear-capable.

Analysts suggest the KD-21 missile could be based on the CM-401 anti-ship ballistic missile but adapted for land attack. If confirmed, its deployment would enhance China’s long-range strike capability, offering faster response times and greater reach compared to ground-launched ballistic systems.

The H-6K, a modernized version of a Soviet design, is a key component of China’s regional strike strategy. It has a range of approximately 3,700 miles, with certain variants capable of in-flight refueling, extending its operational reach. Reports suggest the KD-21, when launched from an aircraft, may have an extended range beyond the CM-401’s estimated 180 miles.

Russian social media accounts posted that the Chinese aeroballistic versions of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal with the index KD-21, capable of reaching hypersonic speeds of up to 10 - 12 Mach on the cruising sections and descending branches of the trajectory, were used during the strategic exercises "Thunder over the Strait - 2025A" ("Strait Thunder-2025A").

The exercise provided for practicing "multi-sphere isolation" of key naval bases, as well as low-altitude air and underwater loopholes of the Air Force and Navy of Taiwan, capable of providing military support from the logistics hubs of the US Armed Forces in South Korea, Japan in the event of the start of an operation by the PLA to establish control over Taiwan.

The range of the KD-21 missiles reaches 1,300 - 2,000 km depending on the launch altitude.