Many military analysts have lauded China's effort towards modernizing its military, with much emphasis towards its air combat capabilities. With the development of the new H-20 Subsonic stealth bomber, many analysts believe that this highly secretive piece of military hardware could prove to be the ultimate game changer that China has been banking for.
According to official state media CCTV, the development of the H-20 is making "great progress." On top of this highly positive development, many military experts agree that the subsonic stealth bomber should be able to make its first flight within the foreseeable future.
The H-20 subsonic bomber development project is part of the People's Liberation Army air force's expansion of bomber operations. In particular, the development of combat aircraft that has the capability of attacking ground and naval targets. The project is also part of a bigger military upgrade undertaken by the Chinese government as part of its effort to mitigate the presence of the United States military in the region. This also comes in a time when tensions between China and the United States continue to heat up both militarily and economically.
Once the H-20 subsonic stealth bomber enters military service, it could be a real game-changer in terms of warfare. The bomber has the capability to attack most of America's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, a capability that poses a serious blow to its military might in the region.
The H-20 is developed with utmost secrecy. As such, only bits of information is known about the bomber. It is believed that the H-20 has been in development since the early 2000s. However, the People's Liberation Army only publicly announced its existence in 2016.
The bomber is considered as a stealth aircraft and has a maximum take-off weight of at least 200 tons and can carry a payload of up to 45 tons. The bomber is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and can fly at subsonic speeds. Also part of the bombers arsenal is four hypersonic cruise missiles.
In its report about Chinese military developments in August, the United States Department of Defense claims that the H-20 bomber has a cruising distance of more than 8,500 kilometers. However, some military experts believe that the bomber can reach distances of more than 12,000 kilometers. Due to this incredible cruising capability, the H-20 bomber should be able to cover Hawaii within its effective striking distance.
