Defence

A picture has been published of what appears to be a new precision-guided bomb developed by China, possibly under the designation LS-6.

The image has been revealed on the Chinese Military Aviation website which says the weapon was first revealed this month and is apparently in the 500kg class.

The bomb has what are presumably foldable wings, and cruciform tail surfaces for guidance, giving a possible stand-off range of tens of kiometres depending on launch altitude. Conceptually it closely resembles the US Longshot system used to give precision capability to dumb bombs.

It is uncertain how the bomb is guided but it could be able to use the US GPS or Russian Glonass satellite navigation systems - possibly with an eye to the export market.

China has itself long talked of developing an indigenous satellite navigation capability and is also a partner in Europe's Galileo.