BEIJING – The Chinese military has conducted five flight tests of a newnuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and a modifiedlong-range strategic bomber to go along with it, sources with knowledgeof US intelligence assessments on the PLA have toldlink>TheDiplomat.

The unnamed missile, classified by US intelligence as the CH-AS-X-13, is atwo-stage, solid-fuel ballistic missile with a 3,000 km range, and has beenundergoing testing since late 2016, with the last test conducted in January2018, a source speaking to the magazine said. The missile, which can befitted with both conventional and nuclear payloads, is believed to be alight-weight composite materials-based variant of China’s DF-21medium-range ballistic missile.

The last two tests were launched from a modified H-6K, China’slicense-built version of the Tupolev Tu-16 long-range, air-refuelablestrategic bomber. The modifications, reportedly made by H-6 manufacturerXi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, are said to have given the bomberALBM delivery capability.

According to The Diplomat, with a combat radius of nearly 6,000 km for themodified H-6K, and the additional 3,000 km range for the CH-AS-X-13, thenew weapons system will hypothetically be able to carry out strikesagainst the contiguous United States, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, and otherUS territories in the Pacific.

According to US intelligence, the new weapon will wrap up testing and beready for deployment by 2025.

Russia has already acquired ALBM launch capability with Kinzhal (‘Dagger’)link>,a highly maneuverable, high speed variant of the Iskander-M missile systemwith nuclear capability. The Kinzhal launches from the MiG-31 interceptoraircraft.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov has confirmed that Kinzhalmissiles are capable of hitting both stationary and moving targets,including enemy aircraft carriers, destroyers and cruisers. DefenseMinistry officials have also boasted that the unique flight and technicalcharacteristics of the Kinzhal and its MiG-31 carrier mean that the systempresently has no analogues in the world.