H-20 bomber (with H-X, JH-XX)

Aerodynamics and flight controls are not even the slightest challenge these days given the wind tunnels and supercomputers. That's almost ancient knowledge even 1930s engineers started working on. There is nothing to indicate this is a challenge in any way for contemporary project teams with armies of well funded genius engineers. The physics must have been thoroughly understood some time ago. At least one flying wing UAV has been flown years ago.

If there are stabilisers, it is not for an inability to control a flying wing. Rather it is more likely a necessary addition for other performance or functional purposes. Chinese aerospace industry has only shown problems with materials, engines, and manufacturing if anything. Non-exotic aerodynamics is almost child's play at this point. Non-exotic as in something that is completely novel and hasn't been done since the bloody 1940s.

Also remember this guy says he added those in.

Actually there is a reason why one might add a tail to a stealthy flying wing.
Because flying wings lack vertical stabilizers they have issues in banks and if they loose an engine.
In testing of the YB49 at least one crashed because the aircraft with its all wing body easily slipped out of control.
In the case of a engine or engines failure the lack of vertical structure means that the flying wing may start pushing to one side. Adding A tail can correct this. But a conventional tail would be out of the question. V tails are favored on stealth as they deflect radar away and can also be used to block IR from behind.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Actually there is a reason why one might add a tail to a stealthy flying wing.
Because flying wings lack vertical stabilizers they have issues in banks and if they loose an engine.
In testing of the YB49 at least one crashed because the aircraft with its all wing body easily slipped out of control.
In the case of a engine or engines failure the lack of vertical structure means that the flying wing may start pushing to one side. Adding A tail can correct this. But a conventional tail would be out of the question. V tails are favored on stealth as they deflect radar away and can also be used to block IR from behind.

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This isn't an issue if the H-20 is a four engine design. If an engine is lost balance can be restored by powering down the corresponding engine on the other side. All of the indications we have are that the H-20 will be either a flying-wing like the B-2 or a blended-wing like the X-47B; we shouldn't be trying to find excuses to shoehorn tails or winglets or any other extrusions because people with no credibility insist on adding them to their designs (in this case and in the graphic that appeared at the variety show).

Actually it is still an issue. A B2 just the other day had to make an emergency landing for that very issue and it has 4 engines, one engine failed in flight. They had to land.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Actually it is still an issue. A B2 just the other day had to make an emergency landing for that very issue and it has 4 engines, one engine failed in flight. They had to land.

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Don't all aircraft make emergency landings when 1 out of 2 or 4 engines fail? That the B-2 was able to land instead of crash says something in itself.

Generally yes but this was a bit more hair raising because it was a B2.
It sounds on the face of it like you just adjust the throttles. But it's more complicated because along with lacking the verticals you are also missing the rudders that can be used to Ballance out the loss.
But remember this B2 only lost engine #4.
Although rarer it's still possible to more engines. The more you loose the harder to control especially if you loose two on the same side.
Which is actually a higher probably then two on the opposite sides of the bird. As if the engine decides to throw a fan or start a fire in a blended body stealth the closest thing to it is it's sibling.
Having the rudders vertical tail are a major advantage in that situation. But come at the cost of stealth.
I under stand that there is no reliable sources on what the H20 will look like at this point but just because they say it's a stealth bomber doesn't mean it's a B2 clone in everything.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Actually it is still an issue. A B2 just the other day had to make an emergency landing for that very issue and it has 4 engines, one engine failed in flight. They had to land.

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

Having the rudders vertical tail are a major advantage in that situation. But come at the cost of stealth.
I under stand that there is no reliable sources on what the H20 will look like at this point but just because they say it's a stealth bomber doesn't mean it's a B2 clone in everything.

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If the US can live with the engineering challenges and risk, China can live with the engineering challenges and risk.

Hmmmm.... not nessisarily. The PLA will decide what it considers a worthy risk. Not you or I and until we see the final bird we cannot say what they feel.

I personally think it'd be a little boring to make a B-2 look-alike. I'm hoping it'll be something a little sleeker, stealth almost on par with a batwing design, but performance like a Tu-22M, the world's first supersonic stealth bomber! That'd be something for an entry into the modern bomber world!

Supersonic takes longer and is more costly. It also places limits on efficient range.