Strategic bombers remain 鈥渋rreplaceable鈥 for China鈥檚 military 鈥 even as it makes progress with sixth-generation fighters and long-range missiles 鈥 given their role in global strikes and nuclear deterrence, analysts say.
They pointed to the American B-2 stealth bombers that hit Iran鈥檚 three nuclear sites on Saturday, dropping bunker-buster bombs directly over the facilities before returning unscathed.
Seven of the B-2 bombers were flown nearly 27,000km (16,700 miles) 鈥 supported by more than 100 other aircraft including aerial tankers 鈥 in the mission that lasted 37 hours.
With China鈥檚 next-gen stealth bomber, the H-20, still under development, analysts said the US Air Force operation underscored the importance of these warplanes.
鈥淎 dedicated strategic bomber is irreplaceable, even in an era when other long鈥憆ange strike options exist,鈥 said Song Zhongping, a military analyst and former People鈥檚 Liberation Army instructor.
鈥淎 strategic bomber can carry out both nuclear and conventional attacks. It is a vital weapon for any major military power, and one that cannot be sacrificed for another.鈥
He said whether a sixth-generation fighter jet would be able to take on that role would depend largely on its range.
China has two known sixth-gen fighter jets under development, with prototypes of the J-36 and J-50 鈥 said to be designed for both combat fighter and bomber roles 鈥 seen in test flights since late last year.
The US Air Force鈥檚 B-2 has a range exceeding 10,000km, allowing it to carry out intercontinental strikes.
鈥淭hat is the essence of a strategic weapon 鈥 the ability to operate across continents,鈥 Song said. 鈥淭he B鈥2, B鈥1B and B鈥52 all fulfil this role for the US. At present, China still lacks this long鈥憆ange strategic strike capability.鈥
Only the US, Russia and China have long-range strategic bombers in operation. Britain and France retired their bomber fleets decades ago, concluding that the expensive, long-range assets were no longer a priority after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The US and the USSR built long鈥慸istance bombers with ranges exceeding 10,000km, making them integral to nuclear deterrence.
The American B鈥52H was introduced in the 1950s and remains in service, with a range of 16,000km and payload capacity of 31.5 tonnes. That compares to Russia鈥檚 Tu鈥95MS 鈥 a modernised version of a 1950s bomber 鈥 which can carry 25 tonnes of weapons across 15,000km.
In the 1970s, both nations took their bomber designs further 鈥 the Soviets with the supersonic Tu鈥160 and the Americans with the stealth B鈥2 鈥 ensuring that the strategic bomber remained a symbol of military might.
Although expensive to maintain, these warplanes have proven their worth, carrying long鈥憆ange weapons that are too bulky for fighter aircraft.
Both the US and Russia have a fleet of around 100 strategic bombers that are a critical part of their nuclear triads and a means to carry out precision long-range strikes. They have no equivalent in this role, offering a level of deterrence and global reach that even aircraft carriers struggle to match.
China did not join the strategic bomber race until the 1960s, starting with the H鈥6, a licence鈥慴uilt variant of the Soviet Tu鈥16 which was upgraded over the years to extend its range and payload.
The H鈥6K and H鈥6N were the first part of China鈥檚 dual-track approach, extending the range to roughly 8,000km and adding precision鈥憇trike and nuclear capabilities, making the H鈥6N China鈥檚 first true strategic bomber.
The second part of this effort is the long鈥慳nticipated H鈥20, which will fill the gap in the PLA鈥檚 strategic bomber force, putting it alongside 鈥 and potentially ahead of, in some respects 鈥 the US and Russia.
While US advances in stealth bomber design have long set a global benchmark, Chinese experts have suggested the H鈥20 will surpass the B鈥21.
The B-21 has been described as the 鈥渓east detectable aircraft鈥 to date, though Song said it was 鈥渆ssentially a scaled鈥慸own version of the outdated B鈥2鈥, with a shorter range of 8,000km to 10,000km and a smaller payload of 15 to 18 tonnes compared with the B-2.
He said while the B-21 incorporated many design elements from the B-2, 鈥渢he H鈥20 benefits from more recent advances in stealth and aerospace engineering鈥.
鈥淭his gives the Chinese stealth bomber a later, and in many ways superior, technological baseline,鈥 Song said.
Strategic bombers can also serve as highly visible nuclear deterrents.
鈥淎 truly strong nuclear force rests upon a triad 鈥 land, sea and air. The strategic bomber is the air leg of that triad,鈥 Song said.
He noted that bombers could be crewed, uncrewed or a mix of both, which he said was the best approach to reduce pilot fatigue on long-range missions.
Satellite images of a secretive Chinese airbase in Xinjiang have revealed a huge stealth drone with a wingspan of about 52 metres (170 feet) parked beside a purpose-built hangar similar to the B-2 facilities in Missouri, military news site The War Zone reported earlier this month.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation analyst and former air force member, said the design of the drone 鈥 reminiscent of the B-2 and larger than the upcoming B-21 鈥 marked a breakthrough in the country鈥檚 unmanned aviation programme.
He noted that uncrewed bombers were not a new concept. 鈥淎ll significant unmanned attack platforms can be viewed as bombers, so long as their range and payload match bomber requirements,鈥 Fu said.
鈥淭he newly spotted drone, with its flying鈥憌ing layout and V鈥憇haped tail, appears tailored for long鈥慹ndurance, precision reconnaissance and targeting across the Pacific.鈥
He said such aircraft, in combination with China鈥檚 growing arsenal of ballistic and hypersonic weapons, could revolutionise campaigns against US naval forces and deep鈥慞acific installations.
Compared to crewed strategic bombers, stealth unmanned aerial vehicles also have a significant cost advantage. Fu said an American B鈥2 could cost around US$2.4 billion while a Chinese stealth UAV like the Caihong鈥7 had an estimated price tag of US$10 million, making it a more viable option for large鈥憇cale deployment.