Pentagon Expects China’s H-20 Stealth Bomber to Enter Service in 2030s

<p >A review by the United States Department of Defence intelligence services has provided a rare insight into the consensus in the Pentagon regarding the development of the world’s first non-American intercontinental range strategic stealth bomber developed – the Chinese H-20. The aircraft is projected to become operational some time in the 2030s, providing a significant leap in offensive capabilities for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. The report elaborated regarding the program that the service “is seeking to extend its power projection capability with the development of a new H-20 stealth strategic bomber, with official PRC [People’s Republic of China] state media stating that this new stealth bomber will have a nuclear mission in addition to filling conventional roles,” and is “developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets.” Details on the medium range stealth bomber remain scarce, although it has been <a href=" >widely speculated </a>that such an aircraft could be developed as an extended range derivative of the J-20 fifth generation fighter, which already has a very long range of close to 4000km using internal fuel. </p><p ><img src=" title="American B-21 Stealth Bomber Prototype"></p><p >The Pentagon’s assessment further alluded to work by China on “developing a new generation of long-range bombers, likely named the H-20. The H-20, which may debut sometime in the next decade, will have a range of more than 10,000 km, enabling the PLAAF to cover the Second Island Chain and into the western region of the Pacific… The H-20 bomber’s range could be extended to cover the globe with aerial refuelling. It is expected to employ conventional and nuclear weaponry and feature a stealthy design.” The Second Island Chain referred to is an area of the western- and mid-Pacific to the west of a boundary between Japan and eastern Indonesia, which includes includes the U.S. territory of Guam where American military assets in the region are heavily concentrated. The H-20 is expected to be able to engage targets both with gravity bombs by flying near its targets, and by employing cruise and ballistic missiles when its targets are in more heavily defended airspace. Nuclear warheads are expected to be available for deployment using both bombs and missiles.</p><p ><img src=" title="Andersen Air Force Base on Guam with B-52H Bombers"></p><p >The development of an intercontinental range bomber by China had long been speculated, and was first confirmed by the head of the air force Ma Xiaotian in 2016. Previously only the United States and the Soviet Union had developed such aircraft, with only the very small American fleet of under 20 <a href=" target="_blank">highly problematic</a> B-2 bombers combining such ranges with advanced stealth capabilities. In April 2024 deputy commander of the PLA Wang Wei <a href=" that the H-20 would meet expectations and be worth the excitement that has surrounded its upcoming unveiling, adding that the program had faced no technical difficulties in development. “There is no bottleneck, and all problems can be solved. Our scientific researchers are progressing well, they are fully capable," he stated at the time, adding that the aircraft would be unveiled to the public shortly. He confirmed that the commissioning and mass production of the aircraft were set to closely follow test flights.  It was subsequently confirmed that the aircraft was built as a flying wing stealth design similar to the <a href=" drone</a> and the <a href=" B-2</a>. </p><p ><img src=" title="J-20B Fighter with New WS-15 Engines"></p><p >China’s combat aviation industry has demonstrated its status as a world leader, most prolifically with the <a href=" >J-20 fifth generation fighter </a>program which is increasingly widely considered to have produced the world’s foremost combat jet in terms of air-to-air performance. Technological leaps made for the program, including the development of <a href=" >new generation of engines</a>, stealth coatings, and sensors, are expected to facilitate a very high performance for the H-20. The new Chinese bomber is expected to closely rival the American B-21 Raider, which <a href=" >made its first flight</a> on November 10, 2023, more than three years behind schedule. The B-21 is significantly smaller and shorter ranged than the B-2, which is expected to allow the aircraft to maintain lower operational and product costs, and may thereby enable a production run of close to 200 or more bombers. The United States has not produced a bomber class on such a scale since the 1960s.</p>