May I ask in which province or region is the H20 most likely undergoing testing?
H-20 bomber (with H-X, JH-XX)
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
Just gonna repost this sentence from the other thread.
The word “crucial” strategic is an interesting word to choose.
Same news in Chinese, with photos from the ceremony.
As you can see in the comments, most Chinese people reading this news would be thinking about H-20 too. Th second highlighted bit reads "to fully understand the extreme importance of steadfast completion (of test flight) of a certain type".
Last edited:
Unless they flight test at night.
It really is. While a VLO flying wing bomber would definitely offer the PLAAF new capabilites, none come to mind as "crucial" to the PLA's strategy. You've already got the rocket force for far away targets like military bases or CSGs, and you've already got credible nuclear deterrence with subs and land-based ICBMs. Unless by "crucial" the article means "the ability to do what you've already been able to, but for slightly cheaper", it's possible that the H-20 isn't merely a Chinese B-2. Maybe, just maybe, it could be something much more?
What kind of capability could that PLAAF want that proves "crucial" to the PLA's overall strategy?
Er. A large stealthy bomber that can penetrate air defenses is a pretty crucial strategic capability.
If you put it like that, yeah, you have a point. Maybe I was overreacting to the word "crucial". But since the PLARF exists, what reason is there for sending in a stealth bomber to take out certain targets vs. some ballistic missiles, apart from it being cheaper? Perhaps a smaller chance of strategic miscalculation for the enemy?
There's no point in semantic analysis on Global Times English articles. Their writers are usually rather careless with their English. In this case, the original Chinese is better translated as "major" rather than "crucial".
Response time and attack profiles are very big variables. Ballistic missiles have long kill chains that increase exposure to countermeasure and require a host of support assets. They are also easier to shoot down because they are immediately noticed when they are launched. You also can't do kill confirmation as easily with a ballistic missiles strike. A deep penetration stealth bomber allows you to do real time point of attack surveillance, which is pretty important for guaranteeing kills for sensitive or essential targets. You're also going to be able to deliver a greater volume of munitions onto a target with a deep penetration stealth bomber than with a battery of ballistic missiles.