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In the early 1990s, China attempted to buy a number of Tu-22M3 from Russia. Although a deal was reported in a large number of publications, this in fact never happened which left China without replacements for it's H-6 fleet. It is very likely that this forced the PRC to modernize its only air assets with more than just a tactical air-to-ground capability. Although little direct information has come out, a few modifications have so far been identified.

Firstly, the H-6A conventional bombers are undergoing are being modified to continue serving in their bomber role, which is primarily conventional but possibly also with a secondary nuclear tasking. Externally, the modified Badgers are recognizable by having lost their fixed forward-firing 23mm gun in the lower forward fuselage. The H-6es also loose their white anti-reflective paint, which is replaced by an overall gray low-visibility scheme. Roundels are applied in blue, just like the regimental code numbers. The aircraft's true identity, the construction number, appears to be stenciled very small on the vertical stabilizer although this has yet to be confirmed. Little is known about the internal changes, but the aircraft most likely have improved navigation and communications equipment aboard, and possibly also improved radar. The reported designation for the modified H-6As is H-6I but since Chinese aircraft often use a roman-numeral system in parallel with an alphabetical subtype identification system this designation might very well be wrong.

Another recent modification of the H-6 is that of an air-to-air tanker. Although a program like this has ran for at least a decade, it is only a few years back when the aerial refueling capability of the PLAAF with H-6 tankers was confirmed. During the parade in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the People's Republic of China, an H-6 tanker and two J-8D interceptors with refueling probes were part of the display over Beijing.

The aerial refueling system used by the Chinese is the hose-and-drogue system in which the tanker aircraft rolls out a hose with a basket, which the receiving aircraft has to connect to with a probe. This system was developed in the late 1940s by British company Flight Refueling Ltd at Hurn airport, and it was this very same company, which developed the equipment currently in use with the PLAAF. Although the tanker force is still very small, consisting of some twenty aircraft at most, at least two versions of the H-6U tanker have so far been identified. The first one is almost definitely a rebuilt H-6D, and is called H-6DU. This one is easily recognized by the large H-6D style radome and glazed nose. The wing pylons for missile carriage are removed, but further outboard on the wings are two hose-drum-units or HDUs. These contain the hoses for fuel transfer on a winch, and the pumps.