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Old 16th Jul 2022, 19:14
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NutLoose
 
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China teases US: unveils Xian H-20 stealth bomber, a B-2 Spirit copy

Not much of a copy as copies go though.



More here

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2022/0...2-spirit-copy/

An unnamed aviation expert from China told the Global Times that the public speculation that the announced aircraft was the H-20 made sense to him. However, it could also be an “overinterpretation” and a completely different project meant. However, the words chosen by Go Heping do indeed best apply to the H-20. After all, this aircraft would make China the second nation in the world to develop its own stealth bomber ready to fly. It is not only against this background that the H-20 is considered the most ambitious project that China’s aviation industry has dealt with to date. In addition, there has been speculation in the recent past that the stealth bomber will take off on its maiden flight by 2023 at the latest. So the time frame fits.

The cards are remixed

The new flying wing would also be a real turning point for the strategic orientation of the Chinese Air Force – and a massive strengthening of its own position in the Asia-Pacific region. Obsolete Xian H-6s currently form the backbone of the long-range bomber fleet. Licensed builds of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16, which were retired in Russia in the 1990s. Although the Chinese counterparts have been comprehensively modernized, their range of services remains limited with a maximum non-stop range of 6,000 kilometers and a manageable nine tons of weapon load.
In contrast, according to estimates by international analysts, the Xian H-20 can fly between 8,500 and 12,000 kilometers, giving China’s strategic bomber fleet “truly intercontinental” attack capacity for the first time. China has said the new bomber will be part of a “nuclear triad” that also includes land-based missiles and nuclear-armed submarines.
Equipped with an AESA radar and both conventional and nuclear cruise missiles, the H-20 could at least bring the US overseas base Guam, possibly even Hawaii, within range. The WS-10 turbofans developed in China should be used as the drive, which, according to the plan, allow the stealth flying wing to reach a speed just below the sound limit.
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