Images have emerged showing a Chinese air force bomber performing an unusual strike mission earlier this month.
After being loaded with unguided glide bombs, the venerable H-6 bomber is shown dropping three as part of a military effort to clear a 2km (1.2 miles)-long build-up of ice on the Yellow river near Ordos, Inner Mongolia.
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All images © KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features |
Three of the twin-engined aircraft were used to release 24 of the 500kg (1,100lb) weapons during the activity, according to a report by the Strategy Page website.
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© KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features |
China's air force has an active fleet of around 120 of the Xian-built bombers, says Flightglobal's MiliCAS database, with around 30 also in use with the nation's naval aviation wing. The type is a locally built version of the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-16, which was first flown in the early 1950s.