Tu-16 Badger Xian H-6A 3D model

The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO reporting name: Badger) was a twin-engined jet strategic heavy bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 60 years, and the Chinese licence-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. The Xian H-6 is a licence-built version of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine jet bomber, built for China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Delivery of the Tu-16 to China began in 1958, and a licence production agreement with the USSR was signed in the late 1950s. Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) manufactured aircraft at Xi’an as the “H-6”; the first flew in 1959. By November 2020, the PLAAF had as many as 231.