With India-China tension spiking again following a transgression attempt by the PLA in Ladakh at the end of August, the Chinese state-run media has resumed playing up military exercises to send a not-so-subtle message to New Delhi. Ever since Indian and Chinese troops got involved in a standoff at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh in May, the Chinese state media have publicised deployment of new tanks, helicopters, artillery and other systems. While not directly mentioning the location of these military exercises, the reports stated they were being held in "high altitude" areas, "plateau" regions or Tibet.
On Monday night, China accused Indian forces of firing warning shots near Pangong lake, an accusation that the Indian Army rejected. Since Tuesday, Chinese state media outlets have tweeted about deployment of "H-6 strategic bombers and Y-20 large military transport aircrafts". Shen Shiwei, a news producer with China Global Television Network, tweeted on Tuesday that the aircraft were mobilised to "high-altitude plateau for training".
Global Times on Wednesday shared a video of the bomber deployment, tweeting, "Pilots successfully completed accompanying support tasks by overcoming challenges in the high altitude area."
Both Shiwei and the Global Times on Wednesday shared videos of artillery drills in Tibet in "recent days".
Reports of the H-6 bombers deploying to Tibet have emerged in recent months ever since the standoff in Ladakh began. The H-6 is a derivative of a Soviet-era subsonic bomber that was sold to China before the ‘Sino-Soviet split’ of the early 1960s. However, China has continued to upgrade the design with new engines, electronic and weapons. The new H-6 versions are believed to have a combat radius of over 3,000km. Flight International, a reputed defence publication, recently quoted an expert as estimating China may have around 100 H-6 bombers.
The H-6 has received a new lease of life as a launch aircraft for land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles. A single upgraded H-6 bomber can carry up to six land-attack cruise missiles, which can hit targets over 1,000km away, ensuring the bomber remains out of reach of enemy air defences.
A recent US Department of Defence report had noted the H-6 remains a potent threat.
The four-engine Y-20 is China's equivalent to the US C-17 heavy transport aircraft, that the Indian Air Force operates. The Y-20, which first flew in 2013, is estimated to be able to carry over 60 tonnes of cargo. China has also acknowledged it is developing a variant of the Y-20 for aerial refuelling.
