China Deploys Bombers Armed with Anti-ship Missiles to Scarborough Shoal
Beijing deployed several warships, cutters and a bomber combat patrol escorted by fighters to Scarborough Shoal in a show of force against Philippine and American forces at the disputed South China Sea maritime feature.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced Wednesday that its forces had conducted combat readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal throughout December.
Along with the forces shown to have deployed to the disputed maritime feature, Chinese state media highlighted a pair of H-6K bombers armed with supersonic YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles alongside Su-35 fighters. Beijing’s routine deployments of long-range bombers equipped with maritime strike packages have long been a cornerstone in the PLA’s regional missions in the South China Sea.
For regional navies, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s H-6 bomber fleet presents a long-range strike threat. Capable of carrying a number of high-end anti-ship munitions from the supersonic YJ-12s to hypersonic YJ-21s, Beijing has flaunted the aircraft against Japanese and Taiwanese forces.
A similar H-6K payload of supersonic anti-ship missiles was highlighted by the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command during this week’s “Justice Mission” exercise around Taiwan, which sought to demonstrate Beijing’s ability to defeat Taipei’s armed forces and deter foreign intervention in a Chinese invasion of the island.
The Type 055-class Xianyang (108), one of 16 planned 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyers that can launch hypersonic anti-ship missiles, was another major PLA asset involved in the combat drills. Type 054A-class frigates Hengshui (572) and Dali (553) were also deployed alongside Type 056A-class corvette Aba (630).
The patrols coincided with the U.S. Navy’s Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group operating in the South China Sea. Open source intelligence X account MT Anderson noted the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier’s location off Luzon on Sunday, as well as a Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle likely sent to the area to monitor the flattop.
While Chinese naval and Coast Guard assets routinely sortie to Scarborough – a constant patrol that has maintained a presence at the shoal since a 2012 standoff between Manila and Beijing – China conducts monthly shows of force in response to various incidents and deployments from its regional adversaries.
Amid Manila’s concerns of a reclamation attempt at Scarborough in the fall of 2025, Washington deployed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group for its last major mission prior to decommissioning. USS Nimitz (CVN-68) led a maritime cooperative activity with Philippine and Japanese forces at a location near Scarborough Shoal. In response, Beijing sent H-6K bombers for a combat patrol.
