In the past period, the American B21 bomber was launched for the first time, which attracted widespread attention and discussion. For this aircraft, some consider it to be nothing more than a simplified version of the B2 bomber, while the American side treaches that it is the first sixth-generation aircraft in the history of mankind.
Although there is constant debate about whether the overall performance of the B21 can surpass that of the B2, it is undoubtedly an outstanding strategic bomber. Academician Yang Wei, a Chinese fighter design expert and chief designer of the J-20, mentioned the B21 in a public speech and said that he believes it is inferior to China's H-20. As a well-known expert in the field of aircraft design and flight control in China, Academician Yang Wei's remarks have naturally attracted great attention.
In fact, the development process for the B21 was not smooth. According to Academician Yang Wei, after the United States announced in 2015 that Northrop Grumman would be in charge of the project, the first flight of the B21 was repeatedly postponed. This is inconsistent with the image of the United States as a superpower and suggests that delays in its military-industrial projects may reflect a decline in national power.
By contrast, China's H-20 could outperform the B21 in many ways. Although the true face of the H-20 has not yet been seen, according to the current information, the H-20 is likely to be an advanced strategic ** bomber. China's achievements in aircraft technology are not inferior to those of the United States, and may even be more advanced in some respects.
From an economic point of view, the B21 bomber was developed and manufactured at a cost of about $600 million, which is quite low compared to the B2 bomber's cost of $2.1 billion. This significant cost difference has sparked speculation about possible technical compromises for B21. For example, the B21's built-in magazine capacity is only half that of the B2, which means that its ** carrying capacity is greatly reduced. In modern air combat, the strike capabilities of a bomber are largely determined by its bomb load. Therefore, the reduction of the B21 in this key performance indicator could seriously affect its combat effectiveness.
In stark contrast, China's H-20 bombers are presumed to have larger built-in magazines. Considering the wide range of large missiles currently equipped with by the squadron, this design choice seems to make perfect sense. The larger magazine can not only improve the strike range of a single mission, but also means that the H-20 can carry more kinds of **, so as to cope with different combat needs. The flexibility of this design and the improvement of strike capability make the H-20 theoretically a more powerful strategy**.
In addition, the B21 threat to China mentioned by Academician Yang Wei is limited, which is also worth going deeper. China has deployed advanced anti-stealth radar systems around its perimeter that are capable of effectively detecting and tracking stealth aircraft. This means that even if the B21 has advanced stealth technology, it may still be at risk of being detected and intercepted when carrying out missions around China. In addition, in the event of a full-scale war between China and the United States, China's Dongfeng series missiles would pose a serious threat to U.S. military bases in the western Pacific, further limiting the B21's freedom of operation in the region.
Taken together, although the American B21 bomber has made breakthroughs in some technical areas, at the strategic level, it does not seem to be enough to pose a substantial threat to China. The cost advantage of the B21 may be its only bright spot, but this is often not enough in the high-tech military field. On the other hand, China's H-20, although the specific information is still limited, from the current analysis, it seems to have more obvious advantages in stealth technology, bomb load and versatility. These technological advantages not only make the H-20 a more advanced strategy, but also reflect China's rapid development and increasing innovation capability in the field of military technology.
So, while the B21 bomber represents an advance in American technology in some ways, it appears to be at a disadvantage when compared to China's H-20. The potential capabilities of the H-20 not only show China's achievements in high-tech research and development, but also indicate the future in the global military balance.
Potential changes. This change is not only reflected in the technical level, but also reflects the differences in strategic thinking and military planning between the two countries. In this rapidly changing global security environment, every emerging system has the potential to trigger new power dynamics on the international stage. At this point, China's H-20 is undoubtedly a key factor to watch.