Chinese Strategic Bombers

Next Big Thing: China’s Aviation to Develop Long-Range Strike Bomber

China plans to develop a new long-range strike bomber capable of attacking targets farther out in the Pacific.

During a meeting of the Chinese military officials it was discussed that China needs a new long-range bomber which should be capable of striking targets as far as the “second island chain” – an area extending from the Kurils in the North through Japan, the Bonins, the Marianas, the Carolines and Indonesia in the South, according to the China Daily article

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) plans to develop a long-range strategic bomber with a minimum range of 8,000 km (5,000 miles) capable of flying without refueling and having the capacity to carry a payload of more than 10 tons of air-to-ground ammunition.

Furthermore, as written in the Chinese Military Aviation blog, the new long-range strategic bomber designs have been under development at the 603rd Aircraft Design Institute (a partner of Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation) since the 1990s.

The new bomber will allegedly have a flying wing design similar to that of the American B-2 and is referred to as a ‘strategic project’ by the Chinese military. Allegedly the separate parts of the aircraft are already being manufactured.

China’s May 2015 Defense White Paper emphasized that “[t]he PLAAF will boost its capabilities for strategic early warning, air strike, air and missile defense, information countermeasures, airborne operations, strategic projection and comprehensive support.”

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150713/1024568534.html#ixzz3fo10NYfj

Chinese Bomber Can Now Launch Long-Range Strikes

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has revealed its long-range precision strike capabilities. Beijing’s H-6K bomber can strike distant targets with precise ammunition, according to Chinese media.

“The fact that our H-6K bombers have performed several long-distance drills far into the Pacific Ocean indicates that the H-6K fleet has become capable of conducting various operations such as long-range precision strikes,” Fu Qianshao, a PLAAF aviation equipment expert, told the newspaper China Daily.

The maximum range of the H-6K bomber is 1,900 miles without refueling; however, it can be extended to 3,100 miles with two mid-air refuels.

The bomber can carry a payload of up to 12 tons. There are currently around 36 H-6K strategic bombers in service with the PLAAF.

“In the past, our bombers could only deliver airdropped bombs and so were unable to conduct precision attacks, but the H-6K, with the adoption of some of our most advanced aeronautic technologies, is able to carry and launch air-to-surface cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, which means it can take out multiple targets on the ground or at sea within one mission,” The Diplomat cited Fu as saying.

The H-6K, although lacking stealth capacity, can carry up to seven YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missiles or CJ-20 subsonic land-attack cruise missiles, with an estimated range of 250 and 1,500 miles respectively.

Furthermore, during recent military exercises the H-6K overcame “enemy defenses” and “the enemy’s electromagnetic blockage.”

According to some military analysts, the only weakness of the bomber is its targeting system as well as the PLAAF’s overall targeting procurement network.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20151017/1028686180/china-military-bomber-precision-strike-weapon.html#ixzz3osa6BGkA

The Tu-16 copy to the right looks like a barn but the stealthy one to the left is a 21th Century rocket...

China Developing New-Generation Strategic Bomber

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20160902/1044876112/china-new-strategic-bomber.html

New PLA bomber may feature 4 turbofan engines

Chinese air force expert Fu Qianshao has speculated that China's new type of long-range bomber, currently being developed, may be equipped with four turbofan engines.

His remark came after Gen. Ma Xiaotian, commander of PLA Air Force, publicly confirmed the plane's existence for the first time.

Fu said his assessment was based on the comprehensive technological capacity of the PLA Air Force. He said the new bomber would most likely be equipped with the WS-10 (literally, turbofan-10), now being installed in fighter jets.

Since the WS-10 has two versions, one with an afterburner and the other without, Fu further speculated there would be three separate technological plans for the bomber's engine configuration.

The first plan emphasizes the bomber's stealth capability but not its supersonic penetration performance. It calls for a WS-10 version without an afterburner. The second plan requires the WS-10 to be fitted with afterburners to generate the extra thrust needed for rapid acceleration for a certain period. Under the third plan, both stealth ability and supersonic penetration are equally stressed, something the PLA is also capable of realizing with its present level of technical expertise.

Currently, only the United States and Russia possess long-range bombers. The United State has the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. The long-range bombers in the Russian air force are the Tu-95 Bear and the Tu-160 Blackjack.

Some military experts believe China's H-6K medium-long-range strategic bomber could have its engines and avionics upgraded to give it a range of 8,000-9,000 km. But Fu pointed out that medium-long-range bombers should have a range in excess of 6,000 km, while long-range bombers should be double that, carrying a payload of 20-30 tons.

He said the decision on which of three engine configurations to adopt rests with the military. However, once the new bomber is developed, China will instantly close the gap with world's leading military powers and possibly, even gain some advantage as a latecomer.

Another Chinese aviation expert, Wang Yanan, said the new bomber will resemble the Russian Tu-160 fixed-wing aircraft, instead of the U.S. B-2, which features a flying wing design.

http://english.chinamil.com.cn/view/2016-10/11/content_7295515.htm

They would probably have better chances against the US than Australia... that radar array at Jindalee is pretty impressive...

Of course if you combine it with long range cruise missiles then it really doesn't need to be very stealthy...

US Intelligence Report: China Building Two New Stealth Bombers (PHOTOS)

China’s air force is working on two new stealth bombers to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era Xian H-6 bombers, a new US intelligence report says. While Beijing confirmed the existence of one, the B-2 Spirit-like H-20, in October, the second is being called the JH-XX by observers and is rumored to be a medium bomber.

"The PLAAF [People's Liberation Army Air Force] is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets," an annex of a US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report issued last week states. "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," the review, titled "China Military Power," states.

An August announcement by CCTV confirmed the "Hong-20" was China's "new long-distance strategic bomber," and the plane may be ready to make its first flight this year, Sputnik reported. The H-20 is widely believed to be analogous to the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, in both design and range.

​However, the DIA report also described a second plane with no obvious analogue in the US fleet. This plane, described as a medium bomber, would be heavier than an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter but would lack the long range of the H-20.

The Drive reports the plane, which is roughly dubbed the JH-XX by observers, will have a 1,000 to 2,000-mile combat radius, an internal ventral weapons bay but also side weapons bays, possibly for air-to-air weapons. It is believed to be about 100 feet long. By comparison, an F-22 Raptor is 62 feet long, and the H-20 is projected to have a range of 5,000 miles without refueling.

Lots of fan art has emerged portraying both the H-20 and the JH-XX, including unofficial art that appeared on the cover of Chinese Aerospace Knowledge magazine last April, but nothing is confirmed yet. Observers seem to be basing their projections for the JH-XX off a similar but rejected proposal floated by Lockheed Martin to the US Air Force for a medium bomber derived from the F-22 Raptor that was provisionally dubbed the FB-22.


Future Chinese Xian H-20 Strategic Bomber

The introduction of new bombers would be a huge leap forward for the PLAAF, whose mainstay bomber is the Xian H-6, designed off the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 Badger, a bomber introduced in 1954. The H-20 is believed to also be designed by Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation, and the JH-XX is rumored to be Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's failed competing bid for the H-20 contract, the Drive reported. If so, it seems it would more fit the demands of a medium bomber than a long-range bomber.

China debuted its Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter, roughly the equivalent of the US' F-22, in 2011 and added it to combat service in February of last year. This November, the plane was spotted at the Zhuhai Air Show pulling off some stunts.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201901221071721714-US-Intel-Report-China-Building-Two-Stealth-Bombers/

A new modification of the bomber H-6N

And these are their predecessors

H-6K PLA Air Force

Glimpse of the H-20