There’s operational disablement and then there’s total destruction of assets. Missile strikes are good for the former but not thorough enough for the latter, unless you’re using really powerful cluster munitions. This is also why thermobaric warheads are sometimes used. You have to control the blast of the munition to get greater area effect if you want to destroy fixed infrastructure, not just disable.
H-20 bomber (with H-X, JH-XX)
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
I think something big is happening soon. China could need a better cruise missile bomber fast.
What is the possibility of buying from Russia or co-developing a modernized, semi stealthy Tu-22M or similar with capability for 6x internal heavy long range cruise missile in the bomb bay and 4x extra optional wing pylons?
This would have far more firepower and survivability than the 4-6x external of H-6K and could be done fast.
What is the possibility of buying from Russia or co-developing a modernized, semi stealthy Tu-22M or similar with capability for 6x internal heavy long range cruise missile in the bomb bay and 4x extra optional wing pylons?
This would have far more firepower and survivability than the 4-6x external of H-6K and could be done fast.
absolutely not. If they didn't want to do this back in 2005, why would they do it now? Supersonic bomber is a thing of past. They are working on H-20, which will be the transformative platform they need.
The world has drastically changed since 2005. In fact it has drastically changed since 2017.
US B-1 is the most heavily used bomber in the fleet. It is extremely cost effective. People mistakenly think B-52s are more cost effective... That's a 1990s misconception utterly disproven by 20 years of experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tu-22M is old. But it has a good airframe like the B-1 and most of all it is imminently build able. A 2-3 year program for modernization (new materials/sensors/munitions, rebalancing center of mass, new tooling) and it'll be done.
Sure H-20 when it comes out might be better... But how long? The world is changing very rapidly. Climate crisis, major power competition, etc.
Russia proved it. You need a tool not only for peer to peer, but for devastating weaker enemies for low losses. Russia has plenty of peer to peer level stuff like SSNs and Mig-31 but they are useless at taking out guys hiding in a tree with a MANPAD.
For what it's worth, Russian Tu-22M launching Kh-32s were still devastating.
Chinese CNC machines are not as good as the Japanese and Europeans especially the high end ones.
you don't need ultra high end CNC machines for 99.99999% of machined products. in addition not all metal components are CNC. everything for mass production is forged, cast, extruded or sheet metal.
1. Discussing relative benefit/cost to buying, coproducing or modernizing a Russian bomber vs. pouring all resources on developing H-20 is on topic because the entire purpose of a bomber is to engage ground targets in a major conventional war. If such a war occurs soon before the H-20 is ready then all resources put into the H-20 has been wasted, especially if China is defeated or takes crippling losses due to not having a good bomber. Every project is a combination of time/cost/capability.
2. CNC is off topic.
Are military and civilian the same? I remember reports about their military 5-axis CNC machines.
There is no such thing as military or civilian cnc. Even civilian cnc can be used for weapons parts give that it is accurate enough.