What You Need to Know: The H-20 Xi’an stealth bomber, China’s long-range strategic bomber, is poised to challenge U.S. military dominance in the Indo-Pacific. With a range exceeding 5,000 miles and the ability to carry up to 45 tons of armaments, the H-20 can target critical U.S. assets, such as airbases on Guam, extending China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities.

-While some experts dismiss it as a "B-2 copycat," the H-20 benefits from newer technologies and could rival the U.S. B-21 Raider.

-As a symbol of China’s rapid military modernization, the H-20 exemplifies Beijing’s strategy to neutralize U.S. power projection in the region.

1 Mission: The H-20 Was Built for a War with the U.S. Military

With a range of more than 5,000 miles, China’s new H-20 Xi’an long-range stealth bomber is now being billed by Beijing as possessing “fifth-generation” capabilities. In other words, this bird is the equivalent (in terms of stealth and other technological accoutrements) as the American F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lighting II. 

Carp over these claims all you want. But for the purposes of preparing to defend against such a threat, it’s likely more prudent to assume that the H-20 is really that significant of a threat.

Writing over at Warrior Maven, Kris Osborn has derisively described the H-20 Xi’an as a “B-2 Copycat.” Indeed, there are many similarities. Yet, it is likely fair to assert that, at the very least, this plane is more advanced than the B-2, simply because of how much newer it is when compared to the decades-old B-2 Spirit. 

And while it may be a point of disagreement as to whether the H-20 is as good as the still-developing United States Air Force B-21 Raider long-range stealth bomber, the fact remains that the H-20 falls somewhere between the B-2 Spirit and the B-21 Raider.

H-20: Turning the Tide

The H-20 is a real game-changer for China. They finally have a stealth bomber that can massively extend the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) range beyond the First Island Chain (the area from Japan extending through Taiwan down to the South China Sea) all the way to Guam.

This is an important capability because Guam is one of the key centers of gravity for US forces operating in the Indo-Pacific. 

Thus, the American territory of Guam is high on China’s target list should any conflict between the two great powers erupt.

Indeed, the entire purpose of China’s military strategy seems to be predicated upon the notion of keeping the bulk of the US military’s power projection platforms over-the-horizon. That’s why the Chinese have invested so much into their anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities that are designed to keep US aircraft carriers away. 

The H-20 is now another layer for those capabilities. The A2/AD networks will deal with US carriers and the surface warfare fleet while the H-20 Xi’an will help to obliterate the US Air Force airbases on Guam and any missile launch sites. 

Few solid details have gotten out to the public about the true capabilities of the H-20, but it is believed that China’s new (possibly fifth-generation) stealth bomber will be able to carry upwards of 45 tons of armaments across more than 5,000 miles without the need for midair refueling.

A Big Deal for China

That’s a considerable strategic platform. And it is one that will be decisive against the United States if war occurs. Especially considering that China has key advantages with mass producing complex systems in their defense industrial base while the Americans lack a defense industrial base that can compete with the sheer numbers of platforms and weapons for those platforms that the Chinese can produce.

And, yet certain Washington insiders continue mocking the Chinese and downplaying the considerable advances they’ve enjoyed since embarking in their radical, massive military modernization program back in 2012. 

God only knows where China will be technologically ten years from now. Judging from the previous ten years, Chinese forces will truly threaten the US military and their allies in ways few other adversaries historically have managed to do.

The H-20 Xi’an long-range stealth bomber is an example of this development.

About the Author

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.