 |
| H-20 - sinodefenceforum.com |
China Is Developing Two Stealth Bombers: Report
The National Interest
David Axe, The National Interest • January 17, 2019
Get ready: The new bombers also could carry nuclear weapons.
China Is Developing Two Stealth Bombers: Report
China is developing not one but two new stealth bombers, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency claimed in a January 2019 report.
While the People's Liberation Army has not been shy about discussing the H-20 strategic bomber that the Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation is developing for the PLA Air Force, there are many fewer public references to the other stealth bomber, which apparently carries the designation JH-XX.
If the report is accurate and China completes development of the JH-XX, the Chinese air force could become the first air arm in the world to deploy a radar-evading fighter-bomber whose main mission is long-range ground-attack.
Other stealth fighter types, including the U.S. military's F-22 and F-35, the Russian air force's Su-57 and the PLAAF's J-20 and J-31 either primarily are air-to-air fighters or combine air-combat capability with the ability to strike ground targets.
Beijing’s goal of eventually forcing Taiwan to unify with China has driven the new bombers' development. "Beijing’s anticipation that foreign forces would intervene in a Taiwan scenario led the PLA to develop a range of systems to deter and deny foreign regional force projection," the DIA reported.
The Pentagon's air base at Guam, a key staging area for U.S. warplanes operating over the Western Pacific, is a major potential target of China's new bombers.
"The PLAAF is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets," the DIA continued in its report. "Stealth technology continues to play a key role in the development of these new bombers, which probably will reach initial operational capability no sooner than 2025.
"These new bombers will have additional capabilities, with full-spectrum upgrades compared with current operational bomber fleets, and will employ many fifth-generation fighter technologies in their design."
In service, the JH-XX could complement or replace existing JH-7 fighter-bombers while the larger H-20, which could be similar in size and capability to the U.S. Air Force's own B-2 stealth bomber, flies alongside the PLAAF's new H-6K bombers.
The H-6K is a heavily-upgraded version of the Soviet Tu-16 bomber that first flew in 1952. "The H-6K variant, which China is fielding in greater numbers, integrates standoff weapons and features more efficient turbofan engines in redesigned wing roots," according to the DIA.
It's a carrier aircraft for the new CJ-20 land-attack cruise missile that's similar to America's Tomahawk missile. "This extended-range aircraft can carry six LACMs, providing the PLA a long-range, standoff, precision-strike capability that can reach Guam."
An H-6 reportedly can carry a heavy payload out to a distance of a thousand miles. A JH-7 reportedly can travel as far as 560 miles. It's unclear how far the H-20 and JH-XX might range.
But as the Chinese air force reequips with new, medium- and long-range bombers, it also has been expanding the geographical area across which the bombers operate, sending more aircraft beyond the "first island chain" that runs from Russia's Kuril Islands south to Japan and then on to The Philippines.
"In 2015 the PLA Air Force carried out four exercise training missions past the first island chain through the Bashi Channel, the northernmost passage of the Luzon Strait and through the Miyako Strait closer to Japan," the DIA explained.
"The Miyako Strait flights were 1,500 kilometers from Guam, within range of the PLAAF’s CJ-20 air-launched land-attack cruise missile. Also in 2015, the PLAAF began flying the H-6K medium-range bomber, the PLAAF’s first aircraft capable of conducting strikes on Guam (with air-launched LACMs like the CJ-20), past the first island chain into the Western Pacific."
The new bombers also could carry nuclear weapons. "As of 2017, the [Chinese] air force had been reassigned a nuclear mission, probably with a developmental strategic bomber," the DIA reported. "The bomber’s deployment would provide China with its first credible nuclear triad of delivery systems dispersed across land, sea, and air—a posture considered since the Cold War to improve survivability and strategic deterrence."
It's unclear whether the JH-XX also might carry nukes. That the JH-XX is a fighter-bomber, rather than a multi-role fighter, implies that it's design emphasizes range and payload over maneuverability.
If there's one thing that might hold back the JH-XX's development, it's the new plane's engine. Problems integrating a Chinese-built engine reportedly have slowed development of the PLAAF's J-20 fighter.
"China’s aviation industry has advanced to produce a developmental large transport aircraft, modern fourth- to fifth-generation fighters incorporating low-observable technologies, modern reconnaissance and attack UAVs and attack helicopters," the DIA explained in its report.
"However, China’s aircraft industry remains reliant on foreign-sourced components for dependable, proven, high-performance aircraft engines."
David Axe serves as the new Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad.
Source: yahoo.com
JH-XX
 |
| JH-XX - sina.com.cn |
This concept was first leaked online around 2013, at what appeared to be some sort of aerospace convention. The model showed an aircraft with top mounted air intakes, a large ventral weapons bay, and a side bay for what appeared to be a beyond visual range air to air missile. Given the configuration of the model, it was assessed to have two engines, and intended for some level of supersonic performance (either dash, or supercruise, dependent on the power plant).
Additional rumors in the following years suggested that this concept was not merely some flight of fantasy, but may have been under serious contention by the PLAAF.
Based on the BVRAAM (beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile) side weapons bay, a reasonable estimate places its length at around 30 meters. Factoring in that the aircraft is equipped with only two power plants (with the likely engines being either uprated WS-10 variants, the still under development WS-15), while carrying weapons internally and seeking achieve supersonic performance, a reasonable estimated (internal payload) MTOW of this aircraft is not likely to exceed 60-70 tons.
In other words, this bomber is not likely to be in the same weight class as the four-engined H-20.
This is not to suggest the aircraft is anymore “conventional” or inherently less stealthy than flying wing stealth bombers. The aerodynamic configuration of this concept is somewhat reminiscent of the YF-23, with swept wings and V tails but with fairly exotic top mounted air intakes, and a main weapons bay that is obviously intended to be capable of carrying a decent sized air to surface payload. A side weapons bay likely sized for BVRAAMs are also visible. This suggests a stealthy VLO airframe capable of some level of supersonic flight.
Such an aircraft would have a combat radius well below the H-20’s 5,000+ km, but may instead be sized for 1,500-2,000 km. The JH-XX (as it was eventually dubbed by much of the Chinese military watching community) also likely had a smaller internal payload capacity compared to the H-20, given its size and the structural demands of supersonic flight.
The JH-XX would likely represent a supersonic, stealthy regional deep strike capability with long endurance and long range (compared to fighter sized stealth aircraft like F-22, F-35 and J-20). Such an aircraft would have the ability to carry a small number of large powered munitions, such as a pair of YJ-12 supersonic ship missiles or heavy land attack cruise missiles, or a larger number of precision guided direct attack munitions.
Such an aircraft would leverage a combination of stealth, speed, onboard electronic warfare capabilities, to penetrate well monitored and defended airspace to target high value targets, in a manner that even a stealthy flying wing may be less capable of doing. Potential targets may include anything from carrier strike groups (CSGs) to well defended airbases and radar sites, or any range of naval and strike missions including SEAD/DEAD. The aircraft’s large internal payload capacity and side BVRAAM bays may also hint at a secondary long range, high persistence interceptor role, capable of carrying a large number of BVRAAMs such as PL-15, or even a number of the new ultra long range PL-X air to air missiles. These roles of course, also do not consider the networking, electronic attack, and drone control capabilities that were previously mentioned for the H-20 and which would likely be present in some form if the JH-XX had been pursued.
Conclusion
Fundamentally, the JH-XX likely sits in a different weight class to the H-20, with a different range, payload capacity and role. To the best of our knowledge the JH-XX does not seem to be actively pursued, or at the very least does not seem to be in as advanced stages of development as the H-20.
Therefore, the JH-XX on the cover of Aviation Knowledge is almost certainly not the next Chinese stealth bomber that will emerge in coming years. The choice to depict the JH-XX on the cover may be a case of deliberate misinformation, or some sort of official muzzling of what the magazine could depict in relation to the H-20 at this stage.
This is not to say that the JH-XX has zero chance of being developed and produced. The PLA would find many uses for JH-XX, and there are some recent cryptic indications that the H-20 could be complemented by another separate bomber type in the future. Whatever the number or mixture of future stealth bombers that the PLAAF decides to procure in the future, at the present it is understood that the H-20 is the lone stealth bomber type in advanced development which will emerge in the near future.
The much superior range of H-20 would allow H-20s to be operated in much more secure airbases deep in China’s heartland, while still having the range and endurance to target bases and naval formations operating over 2,000 kilometers from China’s coast. The greater internal payload of H-20 would also allow a single H-20 sortie to carry the payload that multiple JH-XX sorties would require. Finally, if the PLAAF ever did have a requirement to carry out true intercontinental range bombing missions (i.e.: 10,000 km or greater), and if China did have access to bases around the globe for aerial refueling, then the H-20 would be a far superior global bomber platform than the JH-XX would be, as it would require far less aerial refueling.
In other words, the JH-XX’s is likely more “specialized” towards a regional high intensity conflict role but would be very hard pressed to operate beyond a regional theatre, whereas the H-20 would be able to operate in a regional conflict, but would also have the range provide Chinese leadership the option to exert global strike capabilities beyond the regional theater if the circumstances ever presented itself.
Rick Joe is a longtime follower of Chinese military developments, with a focus on air and naval platforms. His content and write ups are derived from cross examination of open source rumors and information. Source: thediplomat.com
Trial flight of Hong-20 stealth bomber to start soon
H-20 Strategic Stealth Bomber: Details
No comments:
Post a Comment