Key Points: The Pentagon’s 2024 report on China’s military revealed that the much-anticipated Xi’an H-20 stealth bomber may not enter service until after 2030.
-Designed for nuclear and conventional missions, the subsonic flying-wing bomber is expected to have a range of over 10,000 km, potentially extending globally with aerial refueling.
-The H-20 will likely prioritize stealth and range, posing a challenge to U.S. defenses in the Pacific. Despite ongoing development since the early 2000s, the bomber was absent from recent airshows, with Chinese officials stating it remains unready for debut.
-The H-20 represents China’s ambition to rival U.S. strategic airpower capabilities.
China’s H-20 Bomber Won’t Fly Until 2030s, Pentagon Report Suggests
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) annual report to Congress on China’s military capabilities warned that among the platforms Beijing is now focused on adding to its arsenal is the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF’s) much anticipated Xi’an H-20 bomber – but, it suggested the aircraft may not enter service until sometime after 2030.
“The PLAAF is seeking to extend its power projection capability with the development of a new H-20 stealth strategic bomber, with official PRC state media stating that this new stealth bomber will have a nuclear mission in addition to filling conventional roles,” stated the Pentagon’s unclassified version of the “Military and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China 2024.”
The annual report to Congress, pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act, is released in both a classified and unclassified form. It addresses the current and probable future course of Beijing’s military technology and development.
Of notable interest may be the H-20 bomber, which has been teased by the PLAAF for several years. While details are still thin, it has earned comparisons to the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit, the world’s first successful flying wing stealth bomber.
The Pentagon report offered few new details, however.
“The H-20, which may debut sometime in the next decade, will have a range of more than 10,000 km, enabling the PLAAF to cover the Second Island Chain and into the western region of the Pacific. The H-20 bomber’s range could be extended to cover the globe with aerial refueling. It is expected to employ conventional and nuclear weaponry and feature a stealthy design,” the report added.
H-20 Stealth Bomber. Image Credit: Artist Rendering Chinese Internet.
“The Second Island Chain mentioned here refers to an area of the Pacific to the west of a boundary stretching between Japan and eastern Indonesia and includes the U.S. territory of Guam,” The War Zone noted, adding, “The remarks here about the H-20 are also largely identical to what the Pentagon included in its China report last year.”
H-20 – A No Show At The Airshow China
Beijing pulled out all the stops at last month’s China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition – also known as the Zhuhai Airshow or Airshow China – where it debuted its Shenyang J-35 twin-engine, all-weather stealth fighter. The event also featured a flight demonstration of the PLAAF’s Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter, among other aircraft.
Yet, noticeably absent was the Xi’an H-20, even as there had been speculation the stealth “flying wing” long-range aircraft would make an appearance.” It was in March that Newsweek quoted People’s Liberation Army Air Force Deputy Commander Wang Wei as stating, “It’s coming soon, just wait!”
That had seemed to indicate at the time that the bomber would make its debut at the high-profile biennial airshow, but the state-run Global Times in September squashed any rumors. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert told the news outlet that the H-20 wasn’t ready to make its debut.
The H-20: What We Know
The bomber has been a long time coming, and it is believed that the Chinese defense contractor Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation’s (XAC’s) 603 Aircraft Design Institute began developing the H-20 nearly 20 years ago. The group had considered both subsonic flying-wing and supersonic delta-wing configurations, while around 2011, the designers had reportedly settled on a subsonic flying wing, likely with four engines.
H-20 Bomber Image. Image Credit X Screeenshot.
Based on what is also known at this point, XAC has prioritized stealth and distance over speed – which could enable the bomber to strike distances previously outside the range of the PLAAF bombers.
Brent M. Eastwood, writing for 19FortyFive, offered some insight on the bomber: “The H-20 is expected to have radar-absorbing coatings to reduce discovery by air defenses. Curved engine inlets and a hidden engine will help radar evasion. It will probably not be as stealthy as American airplanes, but it should have enough stealth attributes to sneak through American and Allied air defenses. The H-20 likely has modern avionics and electronic warfare capabilities to jam enemy radar on the ground and enemy fighters in the air.”
The most detailed “tease” of the H-20 came in an early 2021 PLAAF recruiting video titled, “Dream of Youth”, shown below”
It was produced by the state firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the XAC. The early 2021 video followed a similar promotional “sizzle reel” released in May 2018, which also included a brief glimpse of a similar-looking aircraft partially exposed from under a sheet.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.
