BEIJING- China is building its next-generation heavy strategic stealthbombers and the photos of one of them known among defence experts as JH-XXhave appeared on the cover of May 2018 issue of China’s Aviation Knowledgemagazine. Unlike the other strategic stealth bomber H-20, photos oftwin-engine JH-XX, which in all probability will carry nuclear weapons,reveal that the bomber is a conventional supersonic plane with much lesserstealth capabilities than the former.

On the hand the H-20 is like the USA Air Force’s B-2 and B-21 bombers. Itis a subsonic aircraft but with maximum possible stealth features to helpevade detection by enemy radars.

According to defence experts the JH-XX photos, shared widely by ChinaDefense Blog and Chinese military aviation expert Andreas Rupprecht’sFacebook page, reveal a strategic bomber with a conventional design. Speedis likely to be JH-XX’s biggest asset as reflected by the aerodynamicswept-wing configuration.

The aircraft will have internal fuel tanks and weapons storage to maximisethe stealth capabilities. Just like other stealth aircraft in service or onthe design table across the world, the JH-XX too has a flat appearance andminimum angles to help it remain undetected to the radar.

Even the air intakes have been mounted on top of the JH-XX to ensureextremely low radar signature. Its engine nozzles are inside the tail andthe large horizontal stabilizers to act as a shield. Tracking such a planeis extremely difficult for any known radar in the world and hence makes itan extremely potent bomber.

But some experts also point out that JH-XX’s photos also reveal that theChinese military aviation industry is still going by the conventionaldesign. Unlike the latest “fly by wire” technology available with all thetop air forces of the world, China is still lagging behind. The supersonicspeed of the JH-XX gives the Chinese military designers to actually use itsspeed to outfly the enemy fighters.

China is scheduled to replace its Xian H-6 bomber and the JH-XX would bethe ideal candidate to replace it. A plane of the 1950s vintage, the H-6’sprimary weapon is the long-range cruise missile. The H-6 cannot carrynuclear weapons, something which is likely to be JH-XX’s primary arsenal.