The U.S. Air Force unveiled the mystery of the B21 bomber to the outside world in December 2022. The , the latest stealth bomber developed by the United States, is considered to be the latest masterpiece of the US military's air power. Although the cost is lower than the previous B2, its combat performance has been improved. It is also the most advanced bomber in the world.
B21’s true face
Sources have revealed a long time ago that the US military’s B21 will be publicly unveiled at the end of 2022. The B21 will also become the first sixth-generation combat aircraft in service. The US military will once again consolidate its technological advantages. The U.S. military and media have high hopes for B21, claiming that B21 will be able to easily penetrate China's air defense system .
B21 can be regarded as the successor of the previous generation B2 stealth bomber . The B2 has excellent performance but the cost is too expensive. Even the wealthy US Air Force has only built 20 aircraft. According to statistics, the unit price of B2 has reached an astonishing nearly 3 billion . This price is already more expensive than gold that is as tall as your body.
But the B2 has a very special status in the US Air Force. Except for the B2, no other bomber can have such a powerful penetration capability, especially in the face of a military power like China. Ordinary non-stealth bombers can only be reduced to targets for air defense systems .
In this context, the U.S. Air Force's LRS-B long-range bomber project came into being. The US military named the new bomber B21 Raider . Compared with B2, B21 is too cheap. The cost of alone does not exceed 500 million US dollars, but can achieve the same combat effectiveness as B2.
The U.S. military is also very optimistic about the prospects of the B21. It plans to equip 100 aircraft to replace the existing B2 and B1B. The and the upgraded B52 will form a new generation of the U.S. military's strategic strike force . B21 will also become a very important combat force for the United States in the competition between great powers.
B21 uses the same flying wing design as B2, but its actual size is smaller than B2. The optimized internal layout of can ensure that B21 is loaded with all long-range strike weapons currently in service in the US military. In the U.S. military's plan, the B21 will have a double-strike capability. It can not only perform conventional bomber missions, but also serve as a guest electronic warfare aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft , command aircraft, and even fighter jets when necessary.
The US military believes that the B21's stealth performance is excellent enough and it can carry a variety of airborne weapons. It can be used as a missile carrier platform to join air combat. The B21's current more reliable mounting capacity data is about 9 tons. This weight has surpassed the average stealth fighter. Coupled with its combat radius of nearly 5,000 kilometers, the B21 may indeed become an all-rounder in the air of the US military.
What’s more interesting is that although B21 is the successor of B2, the two have somewhat different preferences. The strategic use of B21 is much smaller than that of B2. The US military itself has never called B21 a strategic bomber . Even so, the threat of B21 cannot be underestimated. The US military can hand over the responsibility of penetrating China's air defense system to B21, which must have its unique features.
Although the B21 has been publicly unveiled, all the public can see is the frontal profile of the Raider, and other data on its appearance are still highly confidential. The U.S. military stated directly that although B21 is still under development, its purpose has been confirmed, and it is a high-value target in the hinterland of the target country. It can be said that B21 is a weapon born to fight against China.
With such a statement, it is very important for China to counter B21 just like it countered B2, and the domestically produced stealth bomber has become China's main counterattack method, and it is predicted that it will meet the public soon after the B21 appears.
Where is
At present, China's most advanced bomber is the bomber 6N, which is also the latest modified model of the bomber 6. It has the ability to refuel in the air, and has a range of more than 10,000 kilometers .Paired with China's new generation of long-range strike weapons, the H-6N already has strategic-level strike capabilities.
But the H-6 is, after all, an old medium-range bomber developed from Figure 16. Not to mention compared with the B21, even compared with the B1B, the performance of the H-6 has lagged behind, so the H-20 will become a key model to shorten the gap between Chinese and American bombers.
Before the B21 appeared, the H-20 had always been considered to be the benchmark for the B2. The Chinese aviation department also confirmed that the H-20 was indeed a stealth bomber with a flying wing configuration . The combat capabilities are at least on the same level as B2. Although the H-20 has been very popular, it has not officially met the public until the B21 came out. Where is the H-20?
First of all, the existence of the H-20 is firmly confirmed. It is also certain that the H-20 is a model that benchmarks the US military's stealth bombers. After all, the Chinese Air Force has stated that the goal of the Air Force is to build a powerful strategic air force. Now that the and 20 have given China the strategic transportation capability, the strategic bombing capability must be achieved by the H-20.
Military experts pointed out that the delay in the H-20’s appearance may be due to the US military’s new development direction in stealth bombers. Compared with the B2, the B21 puts more emphasis on multi-purpose capabilities, while the H-20, like the B2, was born for strategic strikes. The Chinese Air Force needs time to demonstrate which of the two models is more suitable for future air combat needs.
If it is confirmed that the US military's B21 is the future of bombers, then the existing H-20 may be transferred to the technical reserve, and quickly begin to change to the B21 design idea . China’s experience in the field of stealth aircraft is no less than that of the US military. It is not difficult to develop a new H-20 that is comparable to the B21.
Another reason why the H-20 has not appeared may be the actual needs of the Chinese Air Force. Judging from the current surrounding situation, the combination of H-6N and ultra-long-range airborne weapons can already meet China's strategic deterrence needs. China does not have any enemy air defense networks to traverse. Although the H-20's demand is rigid, it is not urgent.
The combination of these reasons leads to the fact that the H-20 always has big thunder but little rain. But if the B21 is really deployed to the Asia-Pacific region after entering service, the urgency of the demand for the H-20 may increase significantly. By then, everyone at home and abroad will have a glimpse of the true content of the H-20, and China will really buy into the ranks of the strategic air force.
