China developing new type of long-range bomber

The Y-20 strategic transport aircraft, China's first domestically developed heavy-lift transport plane, is shown at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November last year . (Liang Xu / Xinhua)

BEIJING - China is developing a new long-range bomber, the head of the Chinese air force was quoted as saying in the Global Times on Friday.

China has already improved its ability to strike at targets far from home and there will be further improvements in the future, the Global Times quoted air force chief Ma Xiaotian as saying at an air force open day.

"We are now developing a new generation of long-range bomber, and you'll see it in the future," said Ma, Commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China, according to the paper, without elaborating.

China has been ramping up research into advanced new military equipment, including submarines, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles.

China last year revealed its new generation H-6K strategic bomber equipped with the DH-20 land-attack cruise missile, giving it the ability to hit targets as far away as Australia. Only Russia and the US are currently able to launch cruise missiles from the air.

The air force is now also developing its own stealth fighters. In July, it put into service a new, domestically developed large transport aircraft.

Ma said the air force had entered into a "transformation" stage, changing its focus from quantity to quality, the report said.