You know, these well-informed people usually know the relevant news 10-20 days in advance, but they usually use various vague descriptions and hints to keep people's appetite, just like last December.。
H-20 bomber (with H-X, JH-XX)
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
I personally don't think this is ideal (nothing really is). It is taking considerable portion of effort from this forum just to dissect/analyze what they say, knowing that something they say were either intentially misleading or vague riddles. (especially in the case of Ayi, he is a little out there sometimes)
However I still think this is better transparency than before, and as a matter of fact they are probably the semi-official spokesperson of PLA development, knowingly allowed by secrecy officers.
It's still better than Trump's unhinged illogical spewing nonsense like the 2 engine F35 or "let's go back to steam CATs", or just the state of US MIC in general.
H-20 is more of a status symbol at this point. Given how quickly fighter aircraft doctrine has changed within the last decade who knows how much bomber doctrine has changed as well for peer conflict.
Let's see! Ayi doesn't agree with you, it's interesting who will emerge more informedPAK-DA is a wet-dream still and surely not a single one carried ever a BVRAAM!
Let's see! Ayi doesn't agree with you, it's interesting who will emerge more informed
That‘s inttesting, what did he say about the PAK-DA?
Leaked docs clearly show Izd.810 is supposed to carried by PAK-DA, so there is that for starters. Another interesting parallel is that both programs seem to have been delayed, i recall when claims were made in various western magazine that the H-20 will fly by 2020. In the case of H-20 the delay being apparently redesign/rethinking, while PAK-DA's might had to do with priorities or just the shift to the right that seem to happen with most modern programs.Let's see! Ayi doesn't agree with you, it's interesting who will emerge more informed
At any rate, if H-20 flies as rumoured by the end of this year and PAK-DA follows not far behind, say sometime next year, that would be so much schadenfreude to be had in addition to nerds like us having the airgasms of our lives. As the saying goes, let's see who has the last laugh.
This, while pertaining to USAF musings, i think aligns reasonably well to my argument for an unmanned, supersonic, LO, regional bomber kind of airframe as an AAM truck to work with the H-20 along others. Yes, the americans are talking about subsonic, but i see no reason why China should not one-up them. Besides, such a supersonic, supercruising airframe would work wonderfully with the supercruising J-36/J-50.
Of course, as it is now GJ-X could serve as a missileer as well, but that would merely equal potential US capabilities in this regard. Like with the UADFs, China should look to outmatch the US whenever possible, in order to compensate for inferiority in other categories.
PS: Not sure if this is more fitting for the UCAV thread, though as everything is interconnected these days it might pertain to both.
Of course, as it is now GJ-X could serve as a missileer as well, but that would merely equal potential US capabilities in this regard. Like with the UADFs, China should look to outmatch the US whenever possible, in order to compensate for inferiority in other categories.
PS: Not sure if this is more fitting for the UCAV thread, though as everything is interconnected these days it might pertain to both.
Ignoring that this is PS, if H-20 ends up with a cranked-kite wing i will eat my sock
With GJ-X serving strike roles out to 2IC (and limited strikes against 3IC maybe, don't yell at me), H-20 is very likely configured for unescorted deep strike against 3IC and CONUS. That is a mission that requires very low observability against even low frequency radar, something a cranked-kite wing cannot achieve.
Deep strike with Stealth alone against a near peer adversary is unrealistic in the modern age. Radars and other sensors are only getting more and more sophisticated. You can probably get reasonably close and launch a stand-off missile with a high stealth flying wing platform. But expecting anything more will be very dangerous.
So, China will have to consider more than just extreme stealth when designing its Bomber. There will be considerations in terms of weapons load, range, Bomb Bay size, speed and many other factors. With all these factors into account, Cranked-kite could be the design they go for or other exotic designs.
My hunch is that China's Bomber will not look like the B-2 or B-21 in terms of shape even if its a flying wing design. There will be huge differences due to its own unique requirements.