HORIZON LINE XI’AN H-6 BOMBER

Description

H-6A Bomber: A Relic of Strategic Flight

This authentic piece is not just aircraft skin; it’s a tangible link to the H-6A (轰-6甲), a foundational pillar of China’s strategic air power. As the first mass-produced H-6 model in China, the H-6A was a direct, licensed evolution of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 ‘Badger’—a Cold War icon.

The Anti-Radiation Finish and Feel

Hold this piece and you’ll immediately feel its unique history. The exterior carries a distinctive bright white anti-radiation coating, a protective measure designed to reflect the thermal flash during a nuclear detonation. This special finish gives the material a truly unusual texture—a soft hand feel, similar to a blend of hardened glue and paint—a direct result of its top-secret, high-risk operational role.

Engineering, Payload, and Provenance

The material connects you directly to the raw power and engineering of the era.

• Design DNA: The H-6A utilized the distinctive ‘coke-bottle’ low-drag streamlined fuselage, a testament to advanced aerodynamics designed for high-speed performance.
• Heart of the Bomber: It was powered by two domestically manufactured WP-8 (涡喷-8) turbojet engines, reliable workhorses that powered the early fleet.
• Operational Capacity: The massive internal bomb bay measured 6.7 meters long, 1.6 meters wide, and 1.3 meters deep, built to house the heaviest conventional payloads—and something far more potent.
• Bomb Bay Markings: Stenciled instructions on the structural ribs confirm the bomber’s conventional role, including notations for suspending 500 kg air-dropped bombs and bomb weight configurations ranging from 50 kg up to 1500 kg—a true heavy lifter.
• Construction Details: Peeling back the history, you can see the bomber’s intricate internal structure, layered with protective green padding and heavy-duty insulation—a design necessary for enduring its strategic missions.

The Defining Mission

This relic secured its place in history by taking on the nation’s most critical mission. The H-6A was the first aircraft used by China to deploy a nuclear weapon. It achieved its historical zenith on June 17, 1967, when the prototype (Serial No. 4251) successfully airdropped China’s first hydrogen bomb over the Lop Nur test range.

Own a piece of a bomber that fused Soviet design with Chinese innovation, holding a singular, powerful place in aviation and military history.

Notes on Technical/Historical Terms:

 

• H-6A (轰-6甲): The official designation for China’s first mass-produced variant of the H-6 bomber, notable for its ability to carry nuclear payloads.
• Nuclear Capable Bomber (核弹机): A direct and powerful translation, emphasizing the aircraft’s critical role in China’s nuclear deterrence.
• Tu-16 (图-16): The Soviet medium bomber that the Chinese H-6 is based on, built under license.
• “Coke-bottle” or “Area-ruled” fuselage (蜂腰低阻流线型机身): This describes the characteristic shape of the fuselage near the wings, designed to reduce aerodynamic drag at high speeds.
• WP-8 (涡喷-8) turbojet engines: The Chinese licensed/domestically-produced version of the Soviet Mikulin AM-3M engine, which powered the early H-6 models.

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