China Wants to Build a Rival to the US B-2 Stealth Bomber, But It Cannot!

China's H-20 stealth bomber project has become trapped in a cycle of delays and technical problems, and concerns about its future have grown. The United States is recognized as the world's only superpower in stealth bombers and, with aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider in development, has over four decades ...

0 Posted by: Amir Abbas Karimi on October 21, 2015 at 16:11

China's H-20 stealth bomber project has been mired in a cycle of delays and technical problems, raising concerns about its future.

The United States is recognized as the world's single preeminent stealth bomber power and has more than four decades of combat experience flying stealth aircraft, with aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider under development. In contrast, China has devoted enormous resources to its H-20 stealth bomber program, but no confirmed test flights or operational deployments have been reported until 2026. China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), which has not fought a war since 1979, is trying to overnight decades of experience.

America's stealth technology superiority and China's H-20 development path

Stealth technology in the United States is a decades-long story of continuous development. In the 1970s and 1980s, Lockheed proved the concept of stealth aircraft on the battlefield with the development of the F-117 Nighthawk. Then in the 1980s and 1990s, the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, the world's first stealth bomber, was developed and operational. Now, Northrop Grumman has built on these advances with the B-21 Raider, a fully digitally designed bomber with new materials that can network with other aircraft. This ongoing evolution has led to improvements in radar absorber materials, body shaping, precise edge alignment, thermal and infrared management, and mission systems integration.

The development path of China's stealth strategic bomber is completely different. Instead of gradually experimenting with stealth technology over decades, China is trying to achieve a new class of aircraft all at once. For decades, the Chinese Air Force has relied on the Xian H-6, a version of the Soviet Tu-16 Tupolev heavy strategic bomber. China's H-20 program began in 2016 with the goal of introducing a stealth bomber with a "flying wing" structure similar to the B-2 Spirit. The bomber, the H-20, is China's first attempt at a truly intercontinental stealth bomber, but so far there have been no confirmed operational tests or deployments.

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Why has the H-20 not yet flown?

There are complex reasons for China's slower stealth bomber development, despite its military might and significant defense budget. Stealth technology goes far beyond making a flyable wing; Rather, it is the pinnacle of perfection and integration of many different technologies in one bomber platform. This is an area in which the United States is unrivaled. It doesn't just start with radar-absorbing materials; Maintenance cycles, engine intake design, heat suppression, airframe integrity, and mission planning and routing are all factors that ensure the success of a stealth bomber.

Although China has succeeded in some aspects of being a stealthy bomber – notably its stealth fighters are considered high-stealth aircraft – it still lags behind in several critical areas. One of the most important areas is combat experience. China has not participated in any war since its brief conflict with Vietnam in 1979. In contrast, the United States has had many opportunities to assess the combat effectiveness of its aircraft. B-2 Spirit bombers have participated in combat missions in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran. This real-world use helped the US Air Force improve not only the way the B-2 was employed, but also how it was maintained, and significantly contributed to the design of the B-21. China has no combat experience with its stealth bombers.

The gap between Chinese and American stealth bombers is thus not just a matter of platform design, but a matter of experience. While the United States has spent more than forty years perfecting the tactics, materiel, and strategic doctrine associated with a stealthy bomber, China is trying to learn this knowledge in an accelerated time frame. The issue for China is not simply to build a stealth bomber, but to build a fleet of stealth bombers that are reliable, survivable and integrated with other aircraft; It is one of the most complex engineering and doctrinal challenges the Air Force has ever faced.