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

Plus there are many nuances to a missile truck.
Is it a 2000km range missile truck?
Or a 500km range missile truck?
Or a 120 km range missile/glide bomb truck?
Or even a 50 km glide bomb truck, perhaps used localy and temporarily when enemy defenses are partially supressed?
And so on...

Totoro said:

Plus there are many nuances to a missile truck.
Is it a 2000km range missile truck?
Or a 500km range missile truck?
Or a 120 km range missile/glide bomb truck?
Or even a 50 km glide bomb truck, perhaps used localy and temporarily when enemy defenses are partially supressed?
And so on...

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The problem with a long range missile truck is the first island chain. Can it get past the first island chain without being detected at all, keep flying until it reaches Guam or Hawaii, fire its missile and return without again getting detected past the 1sc choke point.

That's why H-20 long range probably matters less. It will be very hard to fly out 1st island chain without being detected. Then the enemy can be ready for it and shoot it down.

charles18 said:

I agree.
I do not think stealth bombers can sneak into enemy airspace with impunity. Maybe over 20 years ago when it was still considered a new technology and the enemy was unprepared it was possible. However today everybody including their grandparents have heard of stealth bombers. There is nothing new about it. Surely all the major governments of the world, with the financial means to do so, have created anti-stealth weapon systems / counter-measures to erode the effectiveness of stealth aircraft.

I think the H-20 will end up being more of a "standoff missile truck."
Of course stealth capability will play a role, just not as much as some people think.

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Soon most military around the world will reach a saturation point where stealth won't matter as much (because of improved sensors and sensor fusion) and then design criteria will fall back kinematics again (speed, range, maneuverability)

tamsen_ikard said:

The problem with a long range missile truck is the first island chain. Can it get past the first island chain without being detected at all, keep flying until it reaches Guam or Hawaii, fire its missile and return without again getting detected past the 1sc choke point.

That's why H-20 long range probably matters less. It will be very hard to fly out 1st island chain without being detected. Then the enemy can be ready for it and shoot it down.

Click to expand...

Stealth or not, China can't fly or sail past the 1st IC undetected. Geography is not on their side.

Inclusion of Taiwan will change that or gaining a friendly ally (Japan, PH, Malaysia, etc). The people in charge of PLA knows this which is why they are not rushing to introduce a stealth bomber. It has no use in their current situation unless the 1st IC barrier is broken.

Stealth planes can be detected with longer wavelength frequencies. It's pure physics. It is the missile tracking that's the hard part because of shorter wavelength frequencies missiles use. But if you know where the stealth plane is, you can send someone to intercept. Close enough and stealth won't matter.

China is better serve designing a missile truck bomber, the JH-XX, instead to complement the H-6.
H-20 has no use for them at this juncture because of the geography of 1st IC.

A stealth bomber benefits the US more which is why rightly so they've invested more into it. They have more attack vectors to use their bombers on in the Pacific and have more allied host to place their bombers at.

Why stealth bomber can't seem to be a good missile truck tho ? Or like why the distinction in the first place ?.

Like what prevent a, say a stealthy H-20 to carry "sino JASSM" with 1500-2000 km range.

The US boosting their sensors capabilities at the 1st Island Chain only makes H20 to be an even more important platform for China, not less.

Radars optimized to detect F-35 sized stealth targets are not going to be effectve against H20 sized targets. It's simple physics. The operating wavelength of a radar can only get so low before a) the radar returns are so imprecise as to be practically useless and b) the radars become so big as to become immobile and easy targets.

Engineer said:

The US boosting their sensors capabilities at the 1st Island Chain only makes H20 to be an even more important platform for China, not less.

Radars optimized to detect F-35 sized stealth targets are not going to be effectve against H20 sized targets. It's simple physics. The operating wavelength of a radar can only get so low before a) the radar returns are so imprecise as to be practically useless and b) the radars become so big as to become immobile and easy targets.

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Just as a thought experiment, how many H-20 do you believe needs to be built for China to ensure the air leg of its nuclear triad is secure by keeping adequate nuclear forces up in the air at all times? I.e., taking into account how many might be down for maintenance or unavailable due to training, etc. How many need to be up in the air at all times?

CMP said:

Just as a thought experiment, how many H-20 do you believe needs to be built for China to ensure the air leg of its nuclear triad is secure by keeping adequate nuclear forces up in the air at all times? I.e., taking into account how many might be down for maintenance or unavailable due to training, etc. How many need to be up in the air at all times?

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That stunt has already been conducted by the USAF under Operation Chrome Dome throughout the 1960s, and the US nearly nuked itself and two other countries in several high-profile accidents.

Needless to say, no such attempts have been done ever since. And I don't see why China should attempt that, whether by using H-6Ns or H-20s, especially with the LOW posture already practiced by the PLARF's strategic nuclear forces.

Kich said:

Stealth or not, China can't fly or sail past the 1st IC undetected. Geography is not on their side.

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If that's the case, then there is only one way out of the 1st island chain in a future confrontation.......use overwhelming brute force.
or
China can stay within the 1st island chain (maintain control within that region) and don't bother trying to break out.
Is it possible to win a future confrontation without moving beyond the 1st IC ?
How important is it to have this capability?