A Threat to Asia? China’s development of the JH-XX tactical stealth bomber reflects its ambitions to challenge regional air superiority.
-Designed as a smaller counterpart to the H-20 strategic bomber, the JH-XX is speculated to incorporate fifth-generation technologies, enabling regional strikes behind enemy lines.
-While specifics remain scarce, the JH-XX could complement the H-20, whose extended range and payload capacity aim to rival U.S. stealth bombers like the B-2 and forthcoming B-21 Raider. If successful, the JH-XX could bolster China’s nuclear deterrence and reshape the Indo-Pacific power balance.
-However, its capability to compete with advanced U.S. systems remains uncertain.
The Great JH-XX Bomber Mystery
China’s revisionist ambitions have manifested themselves in a slew of new military technology, including a new tactical stealth bomber, known as the JH-XX.
Little is known about the mysterious new JH-XX bomber, aside from its intended use a smaller, regional bomber, meant to be paired with a larger, strategic stealth bomber, the H-20.
Busy at Work on a New Bomber
The Defense Intelligence Agency’s 2019 China Military Power report mentioned the JH-XX (and H-20) program’s existence: “The PLAAF [People’s Liberation Army Air Force] is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets,” the report stated. “Stealth technology continues to play a key role in the development of these new bombers, which will reach initial operational capability no sooner than 2025.”
Specifics are scant. The Chinese have disclosed virtually zero information about the JH-XX program, so much of the West’s understanding is pure speculation. The 2019 DIA was accordantly vague, suggesting that “these new bombers will have additional capabilities, with full-spectrum upgrades compared with current operational bomber fleets, and will employ many fifth-generation fighter technologies in their design.”
JH-XX Stealth Bomber Artist Rendering. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
To date, only one nation has successfully fielded a stealth bomber: the United States. The B-2 Spirit, in operation with the US Air Force, is the only operational stealth bomber ever, meaning if the Chinese were successful, in getting either the JH-XX or the H-20 operational, they would be joining rarified company.
The B-2 is old news, however, and is scheduled to be phased out in the next few years. Replacing the B-2 is the B-21 Raider, which looks nearly identical with its distinctive flying wing design. The B-21 is understood to have a lower radar cross section (RCS) than the B-2, meaning the new bomber will be stealthier. The fact is that, as air defense systems have improved, the B-2’s generation-old stealth technology has become increasingly visible to enemy detection systems, essentially defeating the purpose of the stealth aircraft.
The B-21 is meant to renew the American’s stealth advantage, once again offering a true strategic bombing option that can elude enemy radar. Can the Chinese field an aircraft with a similar advantage?
Unclear. But the Chinese desire to do so makes perfect sense; the ability to deliver nuclear or conventional ordnance, behind enemy lines, boosts a nation’s nuclear deterrence immeasurably. The US has long stood at a unique advantage for their ability to deploy a strategic stealth bomber.
JH-XX artist rendering. Image Credit: Chinese Internet.
Were China to be able to field similar technology, the US advantage would be mitigated. The JH-XX would mitigate that advantage in regional-terms; the exact range of the JH-XX is unclear, but will likely lack the range to threaten US interests outside of the Indo-Pacific. That’s where the H-20 comes in, of which more is known than its smaller cousin.
The H-20 “will reportedly have a roughly 4,000 to 5,000-mile combat radius” and “be able to carry heavy weapon loads internally” and “have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to better spot targets, threats, and other hazards.” The JH-XX, meanwhile, will probably feature similar technologies, only on a platform with a smaller combat range.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
