The Chinese H-20 next-generation bomber should just beat the B-21 in making the first flight, according to sources. The US and China compete on who could be the top dog regarding military forces. But so far, it seems that China is moving ahead faster than the US in this aspect.
Race To Field World's First 6th Generation Fighter
This is evident in various areas, including the capabilities of their aircraft carriers and their stranglehold on the development of fifth-generation fighters, Military Watch Magazine reported.
While one of the most visible races to accomplish a specific capability has been the race to field the world's first sixth-generation fighter, which no other competitor is thought to be even close to completing, another has been the race to field the first and most effective 21st-century bomber.
Because of delays to its rival PAK DA program and a focus on restarting production of modernized Tu-160s from the Cold War era, China and the United States are once again the only countries competing for H-20 Next Generation Bomber and B-21 programs.
During the Cold War, only the Soviet Union and the United States had intercontinental range bombers on the field.
The advanced bomber will be the first long-range bomber for China, while the B-21 will take the place of the troublesome B-1B and B-2 fleets in the United States. The formation of additional squadrons to increase the fleet and Air Force service.
China's first fifth-generation fighter, the J-20, was developed at the Xian Aircraft Corporation 603 Aircraft Design Institute in the early 2000s. It is rumored that the J-20 will employ the WS-15 engine, which was confirmed to have started test flights on the J-20 in January 2022.
The H-20 is believed to have the American mainland as its primary target, whereas the B-21 is said to be being developed mainly with bombing missions against China in mind, giving greater relevance to the competition between the two programs.
Before being postponed until 2022 and finally 2023, the B-21 was initially scheduled to fly for the first time in 2021, while the construction on the initial prototype started in 2019, according to Aerotime Hub.
China's H-20 Bomber
The Chinese bomber, on the other hand, was widely reported to be set to make its first flight in the first week of July 2022. State-run media outlet Global Times was among those to highlight that a new type of aircraft was set to commence its first flight soon.
Other outlets highlighted that the aircraft would have "strategic, historic significance," which would aptly describe the country's first bomber capable of reaching different continents.
The United States'States' worries about a rising Chinese advantage would be confirmed if the H-20 flew before the B-21 since the East Asian nation's defense industry can manufacture armaments very noticeably faster and with more cutting-edge capabilities than their American competitors.
It would affect several programs, not the least of which would be sixth-generation fighters, where there is a strong likelihood that China will deploy such aircraft first, per National Defense.
China's H-20 next-generation bomber is poised to be operational sooner than the B-21 of the US.
