Foreign Media: Secret Project: China's Xi'an H-20 Stealth Bomber

Although reports emerged as early as early 2024 that the H-20 strategic bomber was close to its maiden flight, there have been no credible new reports since 2025. According to the English military aviation website "Aerospace Global News," the video of the "flying wing" aircraft circulating in the media is likely China's GJ-X stealth drone. However, the stealth bomber project may have encountered some difficulties during implementation.

As Aerospace Global News pointed out, the Xi'an H-20 is China's attempt to develop a strategic stealth bomber comparable to the U.S. Northrop B-2 "Spirit" and the future B-21 "Raider." China needs a new bomber: its current strategic air force has about 120 Xi'an H-6 bombers. These bombers are based on the Soviet Tu-16 bomber from the 1950s. The H-6 bomber has a combat radius of only 1,000-1,800 kilometers when fully loaded, and up to 3,500 kilometers when lightly loaded, with a ferry range of 6,000-8,000 kilometers. Its payload is 9-12 tons, which is relatively small for a strategic bomber. The old H-6 has two major weaknesses: first, it is a subsonic aircraft, unable to operate in an air defense environment - unlike the U.S. B-2 and B-21; second, only a few H-6s are capable of aerial refueling, and China has very few refueling aircraft.

In March 2024, during the "Two Sessions," there were reports that China's H-20 stealth bomber was nearing completion. At that time, Chinese media reported that the H-20 would be able to break through the first "island chain" constructed by the United States and its allies, and even possibly the second "island chain." According to some reports, the H-20's range (possibly the ferry range) is approximately 13,000 kilometers, with a combat radius of about 5,000 kilometers, and an estimated payload of 30-40 tons. If these parameters are confirmed, the H-20's operational effectiveness will be five times that of the current H-6K bomber, significantly enhancing China's strike capability, including the ability to strike the U.S. mainland.

However, U.S. military experts are skeptical about the H-20 project. According to U.S. intelligence agencies, this aircraft may not be ready until the 2030s, by which time the U.S. new B-21 "Raider" bomber will be in mass service. "Defense News" quoted an anonymous U.S. official who said that the design of the H-20 cannot be compared to the U.S. stealth platforms, especially the latest ones. "Defense News" sources stated that China may face many engineering challenges when trying to produce an aircraft with performance comparable to the B-2, especially the B-21.

It is relatively simple to manufacture an aircraft similar to a stealth fighter. However, maintaining a sustained production of an effective stealth system is extremely complex and costly. Aerospace Global News concluded that it is also extremely difficult to assess the technical capabilities of China's aircraft based solely on videos and scattered public data.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1850944180890763/

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