China’s new long-range bomber project was first announced by then PLA Air Force commander Ma Xiaotian in 2016, when he publicly confirmed the development of the aircraft, Shanghai-based news outlet eastday.com reported.
Since then, little official information was released about the bomber other than a promotional video by state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China in 2018 and a PLA Air Force recruitment video in 2021. Both videos featured computer-generated scenes of an unknown large aircraft covered in a blanket, with the aircraft’s outline suggesting it boasts a flying wing design, but with no further elaboration.
When asked about if the H-20 has encountered technical bottlenecks given the lack of further information since 2016, Wang said that, «there is no bottleneck, and all problems can be solved. Our scientific researchers are progressing well, they are fully capable,» the Hong Kong Commercial Daily reported on Monday.
The aircraft will be officially unveiled to the public soon, and its commissioning and mass production will closely follow its test flights, Wang said.
Wang agreed that the commissioning of the H-20 will significantly enhance the PLA Air Force’s capabilities, as he said that «[it is] to be proud of, it is worth the excitement.»
The US has long been the leader of stealth bomber development and deployment with the B-2, and its next generation successor, the B-21, has already made its maiden flight in November 2023 and since then started low-rate production, according to US media reports.
