China close to launching its own H-20 bomber, but the US is not impressed

After the launch of the American B 21 Raider, although the Chinese next-generation H-20 bomber is getting closer to its long-awaited debut, but this does not seem to worry US officials much.

Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, a US Department of Defense (DoD) intelligence official said US authorities are confident that China’s new long-range stealth bomber, the Xi’an H-20 , will fall short of American designs, regardless of its potential, Breaking Defense reported.

“The problem with the H-20 is that if you look at the design of the system, it’s probably nowhere near as good as the US LO (low observable, i.e. technically stealth) platforms, particularly the more advanced ones that we have in I arrive”. The official added, “They ran into a lot of engineering design challenges as they tried to make these systems operate similar to a B-2 or a B-21.”

The official, however, did not elaborate on the engineering challenges he was referring to. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) H-20 is expected to be the answer to the United States’ B-21 Raider, which was unveiled last year and has since entered low-speed production. At the time of writing this report, Chinese experts have not yet responded to these ‘seemingly’ lofty claims by the US official.

The statement comes a month after PLA Air Force Deputy Commander Wang Wei said the long-awaited H-20, China’s first stealth strategic bomber, would be unveiled to the public soon. Chinese state media had hinted in July 2023 that the country was planning to conduct a flight test of the bomber.

“You may choose to reveal it only because you want to demonstrate that you are a great military power. That doesn’t necessarily mean it gives them the kind of capabilities they would need or the quantity they would need,” the US Department of Defense intelligence official said. Asked whether the H-20 was a cause for concern, the official replied: “Not really.”

The US official’s comments, however, stand in stark contrast to China’s claims about the bomber. The PLAAF deputy commander told Chinese media last month that the bomber was worth the hype because it had not faced any technical problems during its development.

On that occasion, Wang stated that “there is no bottleneck and all problems can be solved,” in response to a question about whether the H-20 had any technological bottlenecks. “Our scientific researchers are progressing well, they are fully capable,” she added.

Another image with H-20 and possible war combinations including drones

Wang said that after the test flights, the aircraft will be commissioned and put into mass production, which will be in time for its next official public debut. He emphasized that the capabilities of the PLA Air Force will be significantly improved with the commissioning of the H-20 and that “the H-20 is a source of pride; It’s worth being excited.”

The US doesn’t seem impressed, nor are the Chinese on the B-21

Despite Chinese claims, the United States seems not to be convinced of the potential of the Chinese strategic bomber, especially of how such a complex modern vehicle can be developed without actually having any problems and starting from almost zero experience.

China has also expressed skepticism and suspicion about the capabilities of the US B-21 Raider bomber. Earlier this year, Chinese military analysts questioned the accelerated production, pointing out that the demonstration and prototype phases often take years before starting production.

In February this year, China’s state media outlet Global Times expressed skepticism about the hasty decision and called it “the US obsession with containing China.” Several Chinese analysts said the B-21’s size, payload capacity and range were reduced to reduce production and maintenance costs.

US B-21 Raider vs Chinese H-20 bomber

The U.S. Air Force’s goal is to field a fleet of at least 100 B-21 Raiders, the first of which is expected to enter service in the mid-2020s. The B-21 Raider will be fully integrated into the fleet by 2030, replacing the obsolete B-1B Lancers and B-2 Spirits. This will complement the planned two-bomber fleet, which consists of 76 modernized B-52J Stratofortresses.

The B-21, hailed by the U.S. Air Force as the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft, promises a new era of capability and flexibility through the seamless integration of data, sensors and weapons. Initially, the Air Force projected a B-21 inventory of “80-100 aircraft,” later revised to “a minimum of 100 aircraft.”

Reports stated that the B-21 would breach enemy defenses and destroy radar facilities, command and control centers and vital sites. The B-21 is expected to carry a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including the bunker-destroying GBU-57 bomb, the GBU-31 JDAM satellite-guided bomb, and the JASSM-ER cruise missile. The bomber can drop bombs, return to flight and drop bombs on Chinese targets.

B-21

The B-21 is expected to be critical in any potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, as the bomber is capable of carrying out conventional strikes and other tasks. Furthermore, it will likely be an important component of the US nuclear deterrence triad in the future.

In the event of a conflict, the B-21 Raider will seek to overcome China’s strong anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) defenses and conduct ground operations to eliminate vital targets. This would provide a huge boost to US capabilities, given that China possesses a highly advanced air force with operational stealth jets, a large and diverse air defense system, and long-range anti-ship and anti-ground missiles capable of repelling the fleet of the US Navy.

On the contrary, Chinese military experts have reiterated that China can reach enemy airfields with its bombers, including those that are based on the B-21, as well as precision cruise and ballistic missiles.

It is believed that if the H-20 manages to extend its range beyond the first island chain off the coast of China, it could threaten regions of the South China Sea, Japan, the Philippines and Guam, a US territory . If the H-20 were to be expanded with in-flight refueling, it could endanger Hawaii or even parts of the US mainland, but this would still make the bomber more vulnerable.

The Pentagon’s 2018 and 2019 “China Military Power Report” predicted that China’s new H-20 long-range stealth bomber, expected to have an operational range of 8,500 km, could potentially offer threats that would alter entire paradigms. This would create new risks in remote and vital areas of the United States.

China has officially stated that it is not interested in pursuing an arms race with the United States. In response to the threat posed by the US bomber, it said it would strengthen its defenses to protect its territory.

This would involve the creation of “shields” such as sophisticated anti-stealth radar systems, surface-to-air missiles, fighter jets, air superiority interceptors and “launches” capable of hitting the airfields from which enemy planes take off.

At the same time, the purpose of the strategic bombing between the two sides appears to be different: the USA uses B2, B1 Lancer and B 21 to hit less technologically advanced targets with remotely launched missiles. This allows us to keep in service even the old B-52s, which will be close to 100 years of service. China instead focuses on confrontation with the USA or its technologically advanced, contractual allies

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