(by Andrea Pinto) The US-China competition is global and every day reveals a strategic novelty in the different environments of confrontation, from the space to the economic one, from the geopolitical to the military positioning.
In recent days, writes The Times, the first images of a Chinese bomber have emerged, invisible to radar and able to travel 5000 miles without any refueling. The aircraft, named, Xian H-20 was not officially presented by Beijing, but the trade magazine of the China North Industries Group, Modern Weaponry posted an image of it on the cover of its June issue.
The image shows the audience a gun compartment, two variable rear wings, barely visible air intakes and engine nozzles on both sides. The plane is covered in dark gray absorbent material to hide from radar. Its variable wing design is strikingly similar to the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber. The magazine titled the cover with the name given to the stealth aircraft: “The god of war in the skyAnd in the text it highlights how Beijing has concentrated its efforts to compete with Washington on stealth technology, a very expensive and difficult technology to develop. Early rumors show that the H-20 will replace the older H-6 (50s design), which has already been updated several times over the decades. The new generation radar invisible bomber as mentioned is capable of flying 5.000 miles without refueling, allowing it to go beyond the second largest island chain in the Pacific, Guam and the US Mariana Islands. The strategic bomber American competitor B-2, on the other hand, it has an autonomy of about 7.000 km in order to satisfy the strategic need of the United States of the time, tending to oppose and encircle the former Soviet Union and China by sea. Although details have not been confirmed, the bomber is expected to be equipped with nuclear and conventional cruise missiles and is not expected to break the sound barrier.
Jon Grevatt, a fighter aircraft specialist and analyst at Janes magazine reported that a Chinese intelligence source told the South China Morning Post: “If the plane becomes operational, it has the potential to change the rules of the game. The H-20 was designed to be stealthy and capable of covering long distances, not meant for speed records". Grevatt then added: “The advantage of this strategic bomber is that it can hit long-range targets, perhaps in the second island chain and beyond. This means that it could threaten the assets and interests of the United States in the Asian Pacific ”. Il Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies confirms the Chinese project and claims that the new Chinese bomber will allow Beijing a new projection capacity at the intercontinental level, equal to its American opponent.
Chinese attention to new projects globally is also given by the defense spending forecasts for 2021 which record an increase in funds equal to 6,8% compared to last year, in line with the growth forecasts of the economy. of Beijing.