China Unveils World’s First Tactical Stealth Bomber: Long Ranged ’JH-20’ Breaks Cover

Images released on December 26 have provided the first ever look at a new Chinese stealth fighter, which is the first manned tactical stealth aircraft unveiled by any country over the past twelve years. The aircraft was seen flying alongside a J-20 fifth generation fighter, and although speculated by some sources to be a prototype of a Chinese sixth generation fighter, it has design features that more closely resemble those of a tactical bomber - a class of aircraft otherwise referred to as ‘strike fighters.’ China is currently one of just two countries to field indigenously developed fifth generation fighters at squadron level strength, with its J-20 fighter considered in a league of its own alongside the American F-35 in terms of performance. Significant technological leaps demonstrated by the J-20 program place the country’s defence sector in a strong position to produce a cutting edge strike fighter with advanced fifth generation level capabilities including stealth.

Pentagon reports have since the 2010s consistently highlighted that such an aircraft is thought to be under development in parallel to the H-20 intercontinental range strategic bomber. With the new aircraft expected to succeed the JH-7 strike fighter in service, it has been widely speculated that it may be designated the ‘JH-20,’ and thus join the ranks of the ’20 series’ of aircraft including the Y-20 strategic transport, YY-20 aerial tanker, Z-20 helicopter, and the aforementioned J-20 and H-20, all of which are revolutionary developments in their respective areas. While the JH-7 was developed in an era where Chinese combat aircraft seldom deployed outside the country’s territorial waters, its successor is expected to have a range several times as long allowing it to meet potential threats long before they reach Chinese territory.

Leading expert on Chinese fifth generation combat aviation Abraham Abrams, author of the recent book China's Stealth Fighter: The J-20 'Mighty Dragon' and the Growing Challenge to Western Air Dominance, highlighted in his work the significant value that a fifth generation long range strike fighter could have for China’s position in the Pacific. He observed that the aircraft could replace not only the bulk of the country’s 260 JH-7s, but also a portion of its more than 200 H-6 bombers, both of which are among the oldest classes of combat aircraft in service. Elaborating regarding the new aircraft’s potential, Abrams noted in his latest book that the strike fighter

“would complement the PLA’s [People’s Liberation Army’s] other significant investments in anti-surface and anti-shipping capabilities, particularly against targets in the first and second island chains, which has included developing assets such as stealth drones and hypersonic glide vehicles. The aircraft could hold U.S. military facilities on Guam, and with aerial refuelling possibly even Wake Island or Hawaii, at greater risk, complementing the massive expansion of surface and ship launched ballistic and cruise missile capabilities aimed at these targets. Eliminating facilities and naval assets key to allowing Western countries to project power into East Asia would likely be the primary role for which such a fighter would be designed, supplementing the non-stealthy but increasingly well- armed H-6 bombers.”

While the J-20 has a significant weapons payload and approximately double the range of competing American stealth fighters, the new strike fighter is significantly larger and is expected to have a combat radius approaching 3000 kilometres, and possibly significantly wider still, as well as a much larger weapons carrying capacity. This will allow the aircraft to engage targets across the second island chain, as well as in the Arctic and Indian Ocean, with only limited support from aerial refuelling assets. In contrast to the more well balanced J-20, the aircraft’s manoeuvrability and air-to-air capabilities are expected to be relatively limited. Significant commonalities between the J-20 and the new strike fighter are likely, including use of the same WS-15 engines which have among the best weight/thrust ratios in the world.

It has long been speculated that the new aircraft could be developed as a derivative of the J-20, much as the Russian Su-34 strike fighter was developed as an extensive modification of Soviet Su-27 air superiority fighter. The images released indicate that this may be a possibility, with the cockpit section in particular having similarities to that of the J-20. With the J-20 already being one of the world’s longest ranged fighters, potentially surpassing the Su-34 which previously held this record, there is a very significant possibility that the new strike fighter will have the longest range of any manned tactical combat jet worldwide. Significant uncertainties regarding the program include the date of its first flight, the timeline for service entry, the intended scale of production, and the extent of its commonality with the J-20.