{"id":1553941,"date":"2022-07-14T07:53:14","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T11:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1553941"},"modified":"2022-07-14T09:20:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T13:20:07","slug":"h20-chinas-stealth-bomber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/h20-chinas-stealth-bomber\/","title":{"rendered":"H20: China&#039;s Stealth Bomber"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">8<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fh20-chinas-stealth-bomber%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1553941&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Late last week, China\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202207\/1270026.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Global Times<\/em> reported<\/a> on an impending test flight of a strategically important aircraft. This prompted a slew of predictions that the nation\u2019s first stealth bomber, commonly known as the Xian H-20, may soon be unveiled. If true, the H-20 would be the world\u2019s first publicly disclosed non-American stealth bomber ever to fly, and could usher in a new era of strategic airpower competition. <\/p>\n<p>The only operational stealth bomber in the world today is America\u2019s Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, which first flew in 1989 and entered operational service in 1997. Unlike any other operational stealth platform in the world today, the B-2\u2019s flying wing design is effective at limiting detection from both high and low-frequency radar bands. As a result, the somewhat dated and significantly larger B-2 Spirit is often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/americas-enemies-can-track-stealth-fighters-on-radar-and-it-isnt-a-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>more difficult<\/em> to detect<\/a> and track than even America\u2019s most modern stealth fighter, the F-35. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>F-35 (top) and B-2 (bottom). (U.S. Air Force photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Stealth fighters like the F-35, F-22, J-20, or Su-57 are all limited by the physical requirements for aerobatic fighter performance, forcing the inclusion of design elements like vertical tail surfaces that can render them detectable against low-frequency radar arrays. However, these arrays lack the image fidelity necessary for actual targeting. In other words, when a stealth fighter is in the neighborhood, you <em>know it\u2019s there<\/em>, but lack the ability to reliably shoot it down. But when a stealth <em>bomber<\/em> is flying high overhead\u2026 you may not even realize it. <\/p>\n<p>Today, America\u2019s two-decade-plus monopoly on heavy-payload, deep-penetration, stealth-bomber technology may be approaching an end. But with America\u2019s own next-generation stealth bomber, the Northrop Grumman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-the-b-21-raider-could-shift-power-in-the-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">B-21 Raider<\/a>, now in the later stages of development, will China\u2019s H-20 be its next-generation peer, or<em> just another page ripped from America\u2019s low-observable past<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/americas-enemies-can-track-stealth-fighters-on-radar-and-it-isnt-a-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why America\u2019s enemies can track stealth fighters on radar<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-china-s-stealth-bomber-program-has-been-developing-behind-a-shroud-of-secrecy\">China\u2019s stealth bomber program has been developing behind a shroud of secrecy<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/60c22b9023393a00188e2715?width=1200&#038;format=jpeg\" alt=\"What We Know About the Xian H-20, China&#039;s New Stealth Bomber\" \/><figcaption>Screen capture from PLA recruiting video.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rumors of China working to develop a stealth bomber began emerging in the early 2000s. These were often tied to reports of Chinese officials gaining access to the wreckage of an American F-117 Nighthawk that was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-one-serbian-commander-proved-stealth-is-not-invisibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shot down over Yugoslavia<\/a> in 1999. Throughout much of the following decade, rumors persisted that China was working to develop their own Nighthawk-equivalent \u2014 in other words, a low-observable attack aircraft leveraging a similarly angular design to Lockheed\u2019s F-117. <\/p>\n<p>In 2005, Noshir Gowadia, a Northrop Grumman design engineer who had helped to develop the B-2 Spirit\u2019s propulsion system, was arrested and charged with selling information regarding the bomber program to the Chinese government. Gowadia would ultimately be convicted and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/wbna41249426\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sentenced<\/a> to 32 years in prison for his violation of the Arms Export Control Act. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/030922-F-0000J-888.jpg\" alt=\"image\" \/> Air Force > Fact Sheet Display&#8221;><figcaption>B-2 Spirit in flight (U.S. Air Force photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>By 2009, details began to emerge of a Chinese stealth fighter program under development. The program would ultimately result in fielding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/stolen-stealth-fighter-why-chinas-j-20-has-both-us-and-russian-dna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon<\/a>, which entered service in 2017. With an increased expectation that China would skip over the early stealth design elements found in the F-117 and focus instead on fielding a fighter comparable to America\u2019s new F-22, rumors of an attack-specific Nighthawk clone waned in favor of a new concern: a Chinese stealth bomber in the vein of America\u2019s own B-2. <\/p>\n<p>Those rumors got a bit more credible in 2013 when German author and Chinese aviation expert <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RupprechtDeino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Andreas Rupprecht<\/a> published renders and pictures of models that appeared to show the basic design of a forthcoming Chinese stealth bomber. The twin-engine aircraft appears to blur the lines a bit between stealth fighter and bomber, sharing some design cues with both Northrop\u2019s B-2 Spirit and its defunct competitor for the F-22, known as the YF-23. <\/p>\n<p>This suggests the design shown is not for a heavy payload platform like the B-2, but rather part of China\u2019s other developmental stealth effort to field a medium-range fighter-bomber. Nonetheless, it clearly demonstrated that China was incorporating stealth design elements into its next generation of bombers. <\/p>\n<p>As some outlets also noted at the time, the wing shape of China\u2019s theoretical stealth bomber appeared similar to artist renderings of Russia\u2019s own advanced low observable bomber program, known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/russias-pak-da-stealth-bomber-is-a-big-stealthy-paper-plane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PAK DA<\/a>, which had been under development since 2009.<\/p>\n<p>By July of 2014, the veil was beginning to lift over China\u2019s stealth bomber efforts, with a full-page feature published in the state-run China Daily newspaper highlighting the future developments of China\u2019s modernizing military. Highlighted among these efforts was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/technology\/innovation\/inventions\/stealth-super-bomber-a-new-focus-of-chinas-growing-military-might\/news-story\/a16b63409e780238c753c595d37d3f5d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">development<\/a> of an \u201cintercontinental strategic bomber capable of penetrating an enemy\u2019s air defences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The article outlined the need for a bomber that could carry 10 tons of ordnance for a minimum of 8000 km (4,970 miles) without refueling. This would place America\u2019s military installations on Guam well within its reach without the need for mid-air refueling. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/russias-pak-da-stealth-bomber-is-a-big-stealthy-paper-plane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russia\u2019s PAK DA stealth bomber is a big, powerful paper plane<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-china-s-stealth-bomber-program-wasn-t-officially-recognized-until-2016\">China\u2019s stealth bomber program wasn\u2019t officially recognized until 2016<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/H-20.jpg\" alt=\"H-20: China&#039;s New Stealth Bomber Could Have a 7,500 Mile Range - 19FortyFive\" \/><figcaption>Artist rendering of the H-20. (Chinese internet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2015, artist renders of what is believed to be China\u2019s other stealth bomber program made their way into Western media reports. These images bore a striking resemblance to the 2013 models and images, suggesting stealth bomber development in China was continuing to mature. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/14091945\/3bb722ccef263ed48eb4d213a2c82a09\" alt=\"Evolving concepts ... This concept art shows a futuristic Chinese tactical bomber over disputed islands in the South and East China Seas. Any strategic bomber would be much larger.\" width=\"660\" height=\"1015\" \/><figcaption>Artist renderings of China\u2019s medium-range stealth bomber in development.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2016, China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army Air Force commander General Ma Xiaotian formally announced the nation\u2019s efforts to develop a new generation of long-range bombers. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2021\/Nov\/03\/2002885874\/-1\/-1\/0\/2021-CMPR-FINAL.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2021 assessment<\/a> conducted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, this effort was likely in reference to the development of China\u2019s stealth bomber, which is often referred to as the H-20. <\/p>\n<p>That same assessment also indicates that China has had success in trying to reach the goals outlined in the 2014 China Daily column, stating that this new bomber would likely employ 5th generation (stealth) technologies, boast a range of \u201cat least 8,500 km\u201d (5,281 miles), a payload capacity of \u201cat least 10 metric tons,\u201d and nuclear-weapon-delivery capabilities. The same 192-page report also refers to the H-20 as a \u201cflying wing stealth bomber.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>In 2018 China seemingly confirmed that its forthcoming H-20 stealth bomber would leverage a flying wing design reminiscent of America\u2019s own B-2 Spirit. In a video released by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), an aircraft that <em>looked <\/em>like a flying wing sat under a drop cloth in a strikingly similar presentation to Northrop Grumman\u2019s own SuperBowl commercial featuring the forthcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-the-b-21-raider-could-shift-power-in-the-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">B-21 Raider<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/message-editor2F1609953576809-comparison.jpg\" alt=\"First Official Rendering Of China&#039;s H-20 Stealth Bomber Emerges In Glitzy  Recruiting Video\" \/><figcaption>Northrop\u2019s B-21 teaser top, China\u2019s H-20 teaser bottom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the Chinese video didn\u2019t overtly discuss the stealth bomber it seemed like an intentional effort to frame the H-20 as China\u2019s response to America\u2019s new stealth bomber. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-the-b-21-raider-could-shift-power-in-the-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How the B-21 Raider could shift power in the Pacific<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-we-think-we-know-about-the-h-20\">What we think we know about the H-20<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/H-202028129.jpg\" alt=\"Why China&#039;s Mysterious Stealth H-20 Bomber Could Be a Real Threat | The  National Interest\" \/><figcaption>H-20 renders from China\u2019s \u201cModern Weaponry\u201d magazine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>There is very little we can say for sure about China\u2019s H-20 stealth bomber at this point, but there are a number of things we can assert with some level of confidence. First and foremost, it will almost certainly be a flying wing design similar to that of America\u2019s B-2 Spirit. This offers a number of significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-do-the-worlds-stealth-fighters-really-stack-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stealth<\/a> advantages. As we discussed earlier, this approach to stealth design limits the aircraft\u2019s return not only against targeting radars that leverage X or similarly high-frequency bands, but also against early warning low-frequency radar bands as well. <\/p>\n<p>The H-20 is expected to be nuclear-capable, firmly establishing China\u2019s own nuclear triad of land-based missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and a long-range nuclear strategic bomber. A nuclear triad is commonly seen as a means of ensuring Mutually Assured Destruction, as it limits an opponent\u2019s ability to wipe out your nuclear arsenal in any single attack. <\/p>\n<p>In a well-researched analysis of the chances the H-20 may soon be taking flight penned by Thomas Newdick for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/first-flight-for-chinas-h-20-stealth-bomber-could-be-imminent-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Warzone<\/em><\/a>, he highlights that the stealth bomber may carry an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and specialize in deploying long-range munitions like subsonic cruise missiles via an internal rotary launcher. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/140919-F-VB168-012-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>The Common Strategic Rotary Launcher being loaded into a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress. (U.S. Air Force photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If intelligence assessments of the H-20\u2019s potential range prove accurate, cruise missiles could help close the apparent range gap between the H-20 and B-2. The Pentagon believes the H-20\u2019s range is \u201cat least\u201d 5,281 miles, as compared to the B-2\u2019s nearly 7,000. The mainland United States is more than 7,200 miles from Chinese shores and the presence of refueling tankers over the Pacific could potentially tip American defenses off about an impending strike. Yet, long-range, low-observable nuclear cruise missiles could play a role in China\u2019s plans for a reliable means of nuclear weapon delivery from the air that could compensate for the distance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/why-is-it-so-hard-to-develop-stealth-aircraft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why is it so hard to develop stealth aircraft?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-will-the-h-20-be-more-like-the-b-2-or-the-b-21\">Will the H-20 be more like the B-2 or the B-21?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/article_62cad8e7c80ae3_90050188.jpeg\" alt=\"After Two Years of Delays to America&#039;s B-21 Bomber - Rival Chinese H-20 May  Fly First\" \/><figcaption>Northrop render of the B-21 (top), render of China\u2019s H-20 (bottom).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>China has made rapid progress modernizing its military apparatus, including fielding one stealth fighter and moving toward placing a second into service. However, to date, China does not appear to have demonstrated the same capacity that the United States has for fielding extremely low observable platforms.<\/p>\n<p>The J-20, China\u2019s current stealth fighter, is believed to boast a very small radar cross-section (RCS) from head-on, but the aircraft itself is largely considered to be far more observable than either of America\u2019s stealth fighters. Expert assessments of the J-20\u2019s RCS range from .5m2 all the way to 3m2, as <a href=\"http:\/\/faculty.nps.edu\/jenn\/ec4630\/rcsredux.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compared<\/a> to the F-22s reported .0001m2 or the F-35\u2019s .0015m2. While harder to detect than Russia\u2019s Su-57 Felon, the J-20\u2019s stealth profile just doesn\u2019t seem to be on par with the least detectable fighters of its generation. <\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s little evidence to suggest that China will be able to leapfrog the B-2\u2019s low-observable capabilities in order to contend with the smaller and stealthier B-21 Raider. In fact, it\u2019s reasonable to assume that the H-20 may not be able to offer the same stealth performance as the B-2 itself, as the aircraft benefits from decades worth of operational experience and updating. While mission planning is not often discussed, it\u2019s actually among the most important aspects of stealth operations. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIn the B-2 community, we say \u2018mission planning is our primary tactic\u2019 and our quality of mission planning is what sets us apart,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/news\/415347\/red-flag-22-1-integrated-mission-planning-first-step-b-2-mission-success\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> <em>B-2 pilot Lt. Col. Christopher Conant, 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, <\/em>in an interview with DVIDS.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>So, while America\u2019s stealth bomber monopoly may soon be ending, its stealth reign does not appear to be over just yet. <\/p>\n<h2>Read more from Sandboxx News<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Late last week, China\u2019s Global Times reported on an impending test flight of a strategically important aircraft. This prompted a slew of predictions that the nation\u2019s first stealth bomber, commonly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1554118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1553941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1553941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1554118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1553941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1553941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1553941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}