More than a year ago (March 2021) Xi Yazhou did this clip talking about the Soviet T-4MS bomber proposal and inferring how H-20 might be similar. In this he very specifically mentioned that lack of vertical stabilizer for B-2 hurts it in the conventional bombing role and that if carefully designed with material that's either absorbent or transparent to radio wave it could have vertical stabilizer and still maintain all aspect stealth.
He envisioned the conventional bombing role to use against mass ROC forces awaiting at the landing sites prior to amphibious forces hit the beach. For this he sited a case of B-2 dropping 80 JDAMs in one go guided by B-2's onboard radar.
Then in April we had this from a magazine showing folding fins:
View attachment 93063
I recall seeing similar idea from a paper, although in the paper it was using a J-20 for base:
View attachment 93065
View attachment 93066
View attachment 93067View attachment 93067
View attachment 93068
View attachment 93070
It may be that there are indeed people who think vertical stabilizer is important. Regardless it's not a new position by Xi, he's been saying the same thing for more than a year now so at least he's consistent.
The possible presence of folding vertical tails is something that has been discussed in the past and is something that I myself have stated as a possible feature we might see on H-20, see below post:
With H-20 being on the horizon and likely to emerge in the next couple of years, I want to lay out my hand in terms of what I think a plausible H-20 platform could look like in terms of key remaining unknowns -- namely planform, control surfaces. Here it is: Everyone agrees that H-20 will...
www.sinodefenceforum.com
The idea of H-20 fielding large numbers of PGMs for large scale bombardment of multiple targets in a single pass is also very reasonable and logical, and one that is obvious. That's not controversial in the least.
Note, the above ideas are ones that other people have come up with and suggested independent of Xi Yazhou.
But the idea of H-20 -- a VLO strategic bomber and an aircraft that is likely to be one of the single most expensive unit aircraft that the PLA would ever purchase -- being designed around a specific need to
employ dumb bombs/unguided bombs however, is not one that for the life of me I can entertain as credible.
And as far as I can see, that is an idea that is only unique to him.
Which is my point -- that of the unique ideas suggested by him (and ideas that others have not suggested), none seem particularly credible or noteworthy.
=====
Also, I'm not sure why on earth he would believe that B-2 being a tailless flying wing would be particularly detrimental to "conventional bombing" -- why would anyone in the modern era not conduct conventional bombing at high altitudes using PGMs, where the bombs themselves guide themselves after they leave the weapons bay??
Especially if you're operating a strategic bomber? Especially if you're operating a stealthy strategic bomber?
Simply put:
1. If you're designing and procuring a fleet of new strategic bombers, you should really have the money and technology to buy the PGMs to equip them with, and the PLA certainly does.
2. If for some reason you really had the requirement for your fleet of new strategic bombers to be able to employ dumb bombs with "relative accuracy" then the only way of doing so "aerodynamically" is to fly your strategic bomber at low altitude, which is an obsolete strategy that basically became obsolete in the 1980s if not earlier against any sort of half modern enemy with look down radar. Not to mention that operating at lower altitudes puts you at vulnerability to medium range air defenses that are often not only more widely available but also more mobile, and where you give up more of the VLO advantage of being a stealth bomber?
3. The need to risk a stealthy strategic bomber to drop dumb bombs to begin with, is a ridiculous mission requirement, and while the likelihood might not be zero, but is damned near close to it. It is unironically like the equivalent of employing a stealth fighter to launch unguided forward firing rockets, and for all the jokes about J-20 carrying FFARs, there is a reason why even the PLA have not been that superfluous in actually doing so.
So can someone perhaps explain to me why this suggestion of H-20 being intended to be designed with the ability to employ dumb bombs with "relative precision" to be does not instantly fail the smell test in spectacular fashion?
