China is developing
a new stealth bomber called the H-20 to firm up the PLA strategic bomber
force, said Bill Sweetman, a military journalist and Richard D. Fisher,
an expert in Chinese military development.
.jpg)
Russia and China
are both proceeding with bomber plans while the United States is developing
its own Long-Range Strike Bomber project, said the Washington-based
Aviation Week & Space Technology report. China's H-20 bomber is
most likely to be developed and produced by Xi'an Aircraft Industrial
Corporation. The aircraft concept will probably be a subsonic low-observable
"flying wing" configuration.
The development
of a stealth bomber received "renewed national attention"
back in Oct. 2013, according to colonel Wu Guohui, an associate professor
from China's National Defense University. "In the past China has
been weak regarding bombers, but in the future will develop long-range
strike aircraft," he said. Even though the PLA Air Force has said
virtually nothing regarding their plans, the H-20's completion is rumored
to fall somewhere around 2025.
By that time, China
will need the stealth bomber to accomplish two important strategic ambitions.
The first is denying the US from entering the First Island Chain, extending
from Alaska to the Philippines. Second, China will have to solidify its
leadership in the Far East with a wide force projection capability.
The H-20 would allow the PLA Air Force to complement the gathering global
aircraft carrier and amphibious projection capabilities of its navy.
The H-20 could be
developed as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle if the US and Russia
decide to design their future bombers as such.
In the meantime,
the PLA continues to develop a new version of the H-6 bombers and upgrade
obsolete models with new weapons. Russia's rejection of China's request
to purchase the more advanced
Tu-22M3 leaves the country with no option but to develop or upgrade
its own aircraft.
