The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
In recent days, news about the H-20 has appeared frequently, causing a lot of discussion on the Internet. Some netizens have all kinds of speculations about the H-20, such as the H-20 is an air-space integrated bomber that can fly directly from the sky to space, and the pilot wears not an ordinary anti-load suit but a spacesuit. The H-20 can strike directly at large cities on enemy territory from space.
Others say that the H-20 was about to come out, but because of the appearance of the twin-tailed scorpion drone in the "industrial survey", the H-20 was directly rebuilt and continued to be upgraded. This is all speculation by netizens themselves, and the authenticity is still up for debate.
But it seems that so much news may be that the H-20 is really not far from meeting everyone. Guess that if the H-20 is in service this year, then the time to meet you will most likely be on National Day.
According to reports, on March 11, 2024, the second session of the 14th National People's Congress held its closing session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. During the meeting, a reporter from Hong Kong Commercial Daily interviewed Wang Wei, deputy commander of the mainland Air Force, and let everyone know the latest news about the H-20.
This reporter's question was also quite high-level, and he directly asked the key question about the H-20, when can we "meet"? Is there a technical bottleneck now? The deputy commander's answer was also encouraging, "Come on, you can wait," "There are no technical bottlenecks, they can be solved, and our scientific research personnel are now very good and have this ability." Deputy Commander Wang also said to the majority of netizens, "Be proud, know that you are excited"
What kind of aircraft is the H-20 exactly
As for what the H-20 looks like and what type of aircraft it is, there are also different speculations about this. However, the appearance of the H-20 covered by the aircraft skin in the picture of the aviation industry's propaganda film is similar to the old American B-2 and B-21 strategic bombers.
It belongs to the flying-wing strategic bomber. But some netizens ridiculed that under the skin must be the new revision of the H-6Z. There are also many similar jokes, which shows that everyone's attention and expectations for the H-20 are very high.
Opponents of the H-20
When it comes to strategic bombers in the world's aviation industry, these three can never be bypassed. Lao Mei's B series, Russia's Diagram series, and Continental's Boom series. Among the representative models are the B-2, B-21, Tu-160 and a series of bombers of the Continental H-6.
Although there are only three countries in the world that have bomber teams at or above the level of aviation divisions, the mainland, the United States and Russia, our H-6 series has also been improved step by step from Russia's old Tu-16 bomber. However, this time, the H-20 is the same type of fly-wing bomber as the B-2 and B-21 of the United States, but other than that, it is a bomber developed by the mainland.
Although in general, the battlefield positioning and strategic application of strategic bombers by the three are generally similar. However, the specific strategic positioning is also different.
There are two main types of strategic positioning of bombers, those within the air defense zone and those outside the air defense zone, the former mainly uses the "high penetration" of the aircraft's own stealth and low-altitude and high-speed flight to carry out interspersed operations in the air defense zone, and the latter carries a large number of air-launched weapons through the defense zone to carry out air strikes against enemy targets.
Because the strategic direction of each is different. Therefore, different types of fighters are needed to deal with different battlefields. For example, the mainland's H-6, Russia's Tu-95, and the United States' B-52 bombers all belong to the defense zone combat models.
Although the B-2 and Tu-160 variable-swept wing bombers have the operational characteristics of penetrating the defense zone, the Tu-95 and B-2 bombers only carry out strike missions outside the defense zone due to the changes of the times, and the combat missions in the defense zone have been abandoned.
In the development of strategic bombers, the United States chose "I want them all", one of which is to extend and upgrade the life of the "master" aircraft B-52, which has the ability to strike outside the defense zone.
On the other hand, the B-21 bomber, which has invested a lot of money in research and development, in addition to having a smaller bomb load than the B-2, has a more advanced crew configuration, and the cost is only a quarter of that of the B-2. Not only is the performance basically the same as that of the B-2, but it is even more capable of organizing network-centric warfare. As a result, the B-2 gradually withdrew from the stage of history.
Compared with the United States, Russia still bets on the Tu-95 and makes the Tu-95 the center of Russia's bombing operations. Although the Tu-95 does not have the ability to penetrate the air defense circle, its large bomb load and continuously updated crew configuration can also be used as a flight launch platform for long-range weapons, making the Tu-95 also have an out-of-zone strike means.
Just as the United States is willing to extend the life of the "old" B-52 plane, why do they like to use old planes so much? Because these two types of aircraft still have a lot of room for transformation and special roles, and the strategic bomber basically plays the role of deterring others in the modern strategic system.
Fly around once in a while, show the power of the country and send a threat signal, I have the ability to fly here, and I have the ability to strike you.
The main reason is that the Tu-95 is so easy to use! First, the Tu-95 is a propeller plane, which is more fuel-efficient than a jet plane, and its endurance is several times that of a jet plane under the same fuel, and it can fly for more than 10 hours without interruption.
However, because of the energy consumption of fighter jets, a fighter jet cannot keep up, so it is necessary to monitor the rotation of fighter jets to follow. Although it is a propeller aircraft, the maximum flight speed of the Tu-95 is 900 kilometers per hour, which makes Russia play to the end in terms of performance and energy consumption.
Not only that, but the Tu-95 also has a "side effect", that is, the huge operating noise. The noise was so loud that the Tu-95 could tell the submarine when it flew over the surface. Who is not nervous about such a noisy big killer, roaring around their airspace?
The main thing is a disgusting one. Therefore, Russia prefers to let the Tu-95 go on a cruise mission, after all, it is economical and practical, and it can also achieve a deterrent effect. Just one Tu-95 meets all needs, and Russia, whose economy is sanctioned, does not need to give up the Tu-160, which is less in volume and more expensive to fly and maintain.
The mainland is the largest in terms of the size and size of the bomber fleet, but the mainland's bomber configuration is the least "strategic." After all, the mainland's old bomber H-6 series formation is much weaker than the United States and Russia in terms of overall performance, and the H-6, which has been revised all the time, also makes the aircraft have a shorter service time and can perform more frequent flight missions.
However, the continent leads the world in missile development technology, and the continent is the only country that can use intercontinental missiles as an air nuclear strike as the main means. Different from the traditional means of delivering nuclear strikes from the air to the United States and Russia, the mainland has embarked on a similar but different path of strategic application.
So do we still need the H-20?
Yes, of course, in the field of modern warfare, the main focus is the effective strike of information stations and weapons, adhering to the principle of multiple paths and multiple choices, if the H-20 is in service in the future, then the mainland's bomber system will become the same real strategic air force as the United States and Russia. At the same time, we have the leading means of missile delivery strikes, which will enable the mainland to have more means to deal with enemy countries in modern warfare, so as to better protect itself in war.
Resources
[1] Observer.com - March 17, 2024 [Weekly Military Review: What kind of H-20 do we need?]
[2] Dongfang.com - March 11, 2024 [Air Force Deputy Commander "Spoiler" Bomb 20]