As the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) carries out air patrols and real-life combat simulations over the Taiwan straits, new images being circulated on the Chinese app WeChat show a new 130 kg bomb, named “GB-100,” being mounted on a PLAAF bomber.
The photograph emerged on the social media account of PLA’s Western Theatre Command and has become a matter of talks among defence enthusiasts around the world.
“Posted on 17 September as part of an article on a PLAAF exercise the image shows what appear to be two Tiange GB 100 bombs being loaded onto a JH-7A fighter-bomber. No further details were provided about the weapon, which was first displayed to the public at the Airshow China 2014 defence exhibition in Zhuhai as part of the Tiange series of precision-guided bombs,” reported Janes.
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The photograph emerged on the social media account of PLA’s Western Theatre Command and has become a matter of talks among defence enthusiasts around the world.
The JH-7 is a low altitude penetration bomber, comparatively similar in roles as the Jaguar, Su-24, F-111, or the Tornado. It was designed after an extensive evaluation and examination about the future requirements of the air forces, for which the need of a dedicated fighter-bomber was raised.
The JH-7, similar in roles as the Indian Air Force’s Jaguar but with highly upgraded capabilities, can perform precision strike roles with a wide array of bombs and missiles in its arsenal.
The images of new weapon systems arise at a critical time when tensions are at an all-time high in the South China Sea and at the Sino-Indian borders in the Himalayas. The tactic of showing new weapon systems and flexing muscles is seen as a psychological dominance of one’s own capabilities with the rivals, a practice being used by both Beijing and New Delhi.
The PLA’s Strategic Support Force (SSF) is an agency responsible for performing such psychological warfare activities to aid the PLA in its operations and maintain an edge over the enemy’s mindset, hampering the confidence in own troops and equipment. Similar images have been released in the past aimed against Taiwan.
However, Taiwan has also held its ground against recent PLA’s activities in the region, calling its right to self-defence and that it has “enough missiles to counter it.”
