The US Department of Defense intelligence officials have stated that regardless of how the new long-range stealth bomber developed by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) – the Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation’s H-20 – performs, US officials believe it does not meet American design standards.
On April 22, a Department of Defense official briefed reporters at the Pentagon, saying, “The problem with the H-20 is when you really look at the system design, it may fall far short of US LO (Low Observable) platforms, especially the more advanced ones that we have completed.”
The official added, “They (the Chinese Communist Party) face many engineering design challenges, such as how to make the system function in a similar manner to the B-2 or B-21.”
The Pentagon introduced a new stealth bomber in 2022, currently in production, that will ultimately replace the B-1 and B-2 fleet.
“As the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft, the B-21 bomber constitutes the future backbone of US air power, bringing a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors, and weapons and can be quickly upgraded to surpass evolving threats,” said the manufacturer of the aircraft, Northrop Grumman, in a statement earlier this year.
The PLAAF attempts to counter the US’s new B-21 “Raider” stealth bomber with the H-20.
According to reports, in March of this year, a PLA official told the official media outlet “Hong Kong Commercial Daily” that the H-20 will soon make its debut, but the specific timing is unclear.
In response to this, US Department of Defense intelligence officials stated that the decision to unveil it (the H-20) is just because they (PLAAF) want to show themselves as a military power. This does not necessarily mean that the H-20 actually provides them with the needed capabilities or quantity of aircraft.
When asked if the H-20 is a cause for concern, the official directly answered, “No.”
This is not the first time US Department of Defense officials have shown disdain and arrogance towards key aspects of the PLA’s military aviation modernization plans. In September 2022, former Pacific Air Forces commander General Kenneth Wilsbach told reporters that the J-20 stealth fighter is “nothing to be alarmed about.”
Although not billed as a briefing on China issues, the official from the Department of Defense focused almost entirely on the military threat posed by Beijing that day. Pentagon officials referred to the CCP as a “step-by-step challenge” to the US. The official stated that the CCP is preparing society at all levels for a “prolonged” conflict with the US.
A key focus of the CCP’s military modernization ambition is to expand its nuclear arsenal, as Beijing already possesses an operational arsenal of 500 nuclear warheads. US officials have warned that by 2030, this number could exceed 1,000. However, Bloomberg reported that widespread corruption has weakened the PLA’s military strength, leading to missiles being filled with water instead of fuel, and missile silo covers that may be unusable.
When asked about Bloomberg’s report, the official said, “Some of them (missiles) in the Chinese military may be filled with water, or the doors may not open, but not all of them.”
The official stated, “I believe the biggest challenge facing the Chinese side is not the actual capability of the systems, but the ability of personnel to quickly, massively, and effectively employ these systems.”
In recent months, multiple PLA Rocket Force generals have been publicly dismissed, including the then Minister of National Defense, Li Shangfu, who reportedly faced allegations of “corruption.”
Nevertheless, US defense officials are still preparing to counter the military strength of the CCP. The official from the Department of Defense stated that while US officials publicly emphasize that war with the CCP is neither inevitable nor imminent, CCP leader Xi Jinping and the “Chinese Communist Party almost certainly” believe that war is inevitable. He added that the CCP leadership believes the US would be the side to initiate the conflict.
The Department of Defense intelligence official explained that the US military does not take the CCP’s military lightly.