It is reported that on December 3, the US military's B-21 bomber was officially unveiled. In the past 34 years, the only new bomber . Today, the US side released many images of it, but its parameters and details were not disclosed, but it is regarded as the US's strategic air deterrent force for the next decades.
From the photos released by the US, B-21 is a reduced version of B-2A. The overall aerodynamic layout is not optimized much, paying more attention to stealth performance, changing ultra-low-altitude penetration capabilities, surpassing B-2A stealth bombers in sensors, information level and function richness. is most likely to improve on avionics system and fire control radar .
B-21 was identified as the sixth-generation aircraft by the US military. Compared with the B-2A, the visual range of the front windshield is significantly reduced and the middle of the fuselage is bulging, which is likely due to the optimization of stealth performance and the reduction of size. and there was only one stealth bomber in the world before, and it was the first flight in 1989, which was the B-2 bomber . However, the US military was very "disliked" the bomber, which was expensive, small in quantity, and was relatively backward in related equipment.
Therefore, what the US needs is the bomber , which is cost-effective and can equip a large amount of bomber and maintain a hidden bomber deterrence. This is the main reason for the development of the B-21. Judging from the current public data, the size of the B-21 is only about 2/3 of that of B-2. It is also subsonic, highly stealthy, and can also carry nuclear, as well as the ability to drive unmanned and control the "loyal wingman".
According to the US Air Force Secretary, the B-21 can drop mines without the target being noticed, create an asymmetric combat situation, and has a powerful radar stealth capability. will make its first flight in 2023, with a take-off weight no more than 80 tons, a range of about 9,000 kilometers, a combat radius of 3,500 to 4,000 kilometers, and a maximum payload of about 10 tons . It is equivalent to the PLA's H-6K in some important parameters, and is quite different from the US B-2 bombers in service.
It is reported that the US Air Force plans to purchase 100 B-21s to deploy nuclear weapons or conventional missiles. and B-21's biggest advantage is its cheapness. The cost has dropped sharply from US$2.4 billion for B-2 to 600 million . The biggest improvement is its stealth performance, which can avoid the tracking of anti-stealth radar , so the stealth capability is definitely stronger than B-2A, so the US military's demand for this aircraft will increase.
Now the United States already has four bombers, B-2, B-52, B-1B and the newly unveiled B-21, while the Russian side has three bombers, Tu-95, Tu-22M, and Tu-160. China only has one bomber, H-6, so will the H-20 that many military fans are looking forward to?
H-20 is the most likely target of the US military's B-21. US Air Force Secretary Kendall has repeatedly mentioned on various occasions that he should use B-21 to deter China, and claimed that B-21 can drop mines in Taiwan Strait to prevent the PLA from crossing the sea while the PLA is ignorant of nothing. can offset the PLA's advantage of regional denial/anti-intervention force through its asymmetric combat capabilities.
Before the outside world predicted that the maximum range of H-20 can reach 18,000 kilometers and can fly directly to the United States. There are also media reports that the take-off weight of H-20 has reached 200 tons. The takeoff weight is large, and the load capacity is large. The load capacity of the H-20 may reach about 45 tons, which is about 2 times that of B2 and 3 times that of B21.
In fact, compared with the B-21, the biggest difference between the H-20 and the B-21 is the size difference caused by different design positioning. The B-21 is a bomber designed by the US military to pursue quantity and reduce costs. The H-20 is the last puzzle for our army to complete the strategic nuclear deterrence and strike capabilities of the air-based strategic nuclear deterrence. Therefore, the H-20 is destined to be a large-scale, large-range, and large-load . The goal is to rush to various bases of Pacific and even the United States. can also threaten the US military's aircraft carrier .
After being equipped with J-20 fighter jets and other stealth fighter jets, China has mastered the ability to develop stealth fighter jets. Therefore, in the field of stealth fighter jets, it is no longer the dominant US . Advanced large strategic bomber is a manifestation of a country's comprehensive national strength. I believe that in the near future, the People's Liberation Army's J-20, H-20 and many new fighter jets with hidden tracking capabilities will inevitably put greater pressure on the first and second island chains.
and whether the B-21 is really as outstanding as the United States said, it is too early to draw a conclusion.
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