A Chinese Stealth Bomber Can Force Changes To US Military Plans, But Does The Plane Exist?

The Chinese government might have a stealth bomber in its inventory but we have yet to see more than a few short clips that amount to little more than commercials. According to a statement by the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force last October, the Chinese government was planning to reveal the aircraft during the celebration this year marking their 70th year in power.

So far we have seen nothing that indicates that China has actually completed construction of the aircraft. Since the original announcement, we have seen some indications that a plane does exist. The Xi’an Aviation Industrial Corporation seems to have taken a page out of the playbook from Northrop Grumman, even going so far as to almost borrow their commercial for the B-21 stealth bomber and modifying it to fit the mysterious Hong-20, according to a report by National Interest.

China has ramped up aircraft production over the last few years, cranking out some medium-range bombers that look like Soviet bombers circa 1955. They may not have a modern look but they are loaded with sophisticated electronics and possibly air-launched cruise missiles. China is mass producing these and powering them with WS-10A Taihang turbofans, which are questionably built and very flawed engines. This raises questions about their ability to produce a functioning stealth bomber because these are the only known Chinese-built engines that are capable of powering an aircraft like this.

China does have functioning stealth fighters such as the J-20 and J-31 as well as the Y-20 cargo plane, which is a massive beast. So it is logical to assume they would have developed a stealth bomber. The U.S. and China are only separated by 6,000 miles of ocean and a bomber of this type would certainly reduce that, essentially bringing U.S. assets into harm’s way.

If China has managed to produce a functioning plane of this nature, then there could be some serious issues for the U.S. and its allies. Such a plane would afford the Chinese a platform that would allow them to launch attacks that can hit U.S. bases without having to fly anywhere near them. China has a tendency to try and assert dominance over the western Pacific ocean and this would be a big step toward that. As of now the U.S. and Russia are the only countries that have stealth bombers but China is rumored to be not far behind.

The plane is likely to have a similar flying wing design as that of the B-2 bomber because that is a popular design for reducing radar signatures.

Military analysts in the U.S. will be looking at any planes that come out of China and going over them with a fine-tooth comb, looking for any design flaws that might give them an upper hand in locating and targeting such aircraft. Technology of this nature would cause a shift in defense strategies around the world.

A source told the International Business Times that if this plane does exist and is as capable as it is made to sound, it would cause the military to make changes immediately because current defense plans don’t account for anything like this even with the most technologically advanced military in the world.