:diablo:Lol, sorry my bad. At first I thought he was inventing aircraft designations, then I wiki searched it and saw the Hustler. Then my internet played up and I couldn’t save myself such red facedness as the comment box wouldn’t let me edit my comment lol

Without changing this threads subject, why was it terrifying for the crews?

One small irony the B-58 Hustler and the Tu-16 Badger (the forerunner of the H-6K) were designed and pressed into service around the same time. Considering the significantly more sophisticated B-58 Hustler is a distant memory the fact the Tu-16 lives on and is even still coming of the production line is ironic.

All I have seen is a report on an Indian aviation news blog and The Aviationist website which is also a web-blog (it actually says that on the home page) for the freelance aviation journalist David Cenciotti! David Cenciotti is an ex member of the Italian airforce, so hardly someone with close contacts in China or Russia. Looking at what he has written over time I would argue he is more a blogger then a journalist, he has been on TV a bit and got some articles into various magazines including AFM but heck Carlo Kopp has managed to get articles into that magazine!

So we are taking an article by an Italian aviation blogger with no references to the China Air Force or Navy let alone the Russian’s as gospel truth. ?!?!

How many rumours have we seen over the years that China was going to purchase the Tu-22! :rolleyes:

Come on guys put your heads into gear here! I am not saying it is an impossible idea but this new year rumour needs to be treated with far more cynicism!

You know I think there is a chance that Typhoon will get the conformal tanks in the end.

What will change in my opinion is the demarcation between penetration strike, CAS and air superiority within the RAF and the types it operates. Basically Typhoon and F-35B will be pressed into any of those roles on an ad-hoc basis depending on events.

I don’t entirely see that as a bad thing.

You are on a military aviation forum and you don’t know what a B-58 is?!:D

This is a B-58:

The B-58 Hustler, probably the most amazing and frankly terrifying for the crew strike bomber ever made!

A true aviation legend sadly forgotten by many…

Video with more info, narrated by Jimmy Stewart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEKyTxnrXIc

But, ignore function will do its job from now on.

What do you mean by that TR1?

I am not arguing the H-6K is the best aircraft for the job it is being asked of, what I am saying is it is an affordable short term solution to what China wants of it. A 2200 mile range subsonic ALCM launch platform able to carry six of their latest cruise missiles. It is what I call good enough for the job, what is your problem with that?

To be honest Tigershark’s mistake about the B-1 is honest TR1, there has been more then one attempt to retire it totally. Ironically Afghanistan has shown how useful it can be. The B-1 has the largest bomb load in theatre and its supersonic dash capability has been really handy as it can get to any part of the country really quickly and has a huge loiter time capability supported by tankers. With its SNIPER pod and ROVER compatibility it has become the choice platform to provide precision close air support in theatre…I digress nevertheless.

As for H-6K it might be based on a very old design but I think China has struck on a very good solution to an affordable ALCM launch platform. Very cheap to make and meets the the mission required of it with minimum fuss. It is surely packed with their newest shiniest avionics allowing it to carry all sorts of stuff. Just like the JH-7 it doesn’t have to be the most modern airframe to provide an affordable solution when coupled with modern avionics and munitions. As for engines it is a matter of priorities, a WS-10 variant (maybe the one being developed for the Y-20) would be a suitable domestic engine but taking production slots and resources that are needed for J-11B, J-15, J-16, J-20, J-10B and Y-20 when a suitable Russian engine type can be purchased off the shelf is illogical. When the medium to high bypass variant of the WS-10 becomes more widely available then maybe an H-6 powered by it will be seen but Y-20 would be a higher priority for that engine.

Nothing like a bit of the banhammer to tidy things up a bit!

Well the question with Japan and South Korea is do they need to project their power from the sea?

If they do then I see them as a possible future customer for F-35B, for Japan there are plenty of political questions related to that. The only area they could want to do that is over the Spratleys and I am inclined to think South Korea would put up more of a fight then Japan.

Also consider Japan has tanker aircraft massively increasing the reach of their jets. Surprisingly South Korea doesn’t operate tanker aircraft as it stands.