China's H-8 stealth bomber Options

[wb21]

The Chinese have been speculated to create their very own stealth bomber, the H-8. This top secret PLAAF bomber, has been known to be more advanced than the B-2 Spirit the US has (with long range, supersonic speed, and a variety of ordnance)...

Here are the renditions I've found on the 'net:





This is what the late CommanderJB said when he saw the video, after I gave its YouTube link, in a ModDB comment:

The trouble with China is that you never know what they're building until a year or two after they've finished testing the thing. But who knows? I doubt it as there's no real strategic need for the PLAAF to have another bomber (if it's stealth you need it's more effective to procure smaller strike fighters such as the speculated J-XX, and if it's payload you need then making a B-2esque platform is not exactly the most cost-effective way to do it). Morever, in a growing age of UCAVs and their enormous loiter times designing one now may not be wise, but I suppose there's still plenty to chew on.
Rest assured at any rate that the team are keeping very close tabs on as many developments as they can find!

I'd like to hear some more opinion about China's dark bird!

[Alias]

Does it drop hate propaganda?

/pun

[Jester]

id expect it to be released round about the same time as the JXX

[Raven]

I don't think the Chinese have such advanced tech yet. Most of the Chinese products are variants of existing Russian models. Ofcourse there are new chinese developed aircraft rollout, but i do not think they still have the stealth tech.

[NergiZed]

Eh, it's prolly in development, but all that other stuff is just concept art, much like all the art out there for the PAK-FA.

[ultimentra]

China's military stuff as of lately has been very fishy. For example their brand new bullpup variant rifle they had just implemented last year is already being replaced with a different one that's in the classic AK configuration, just modernized and chambered for the chinese 5.8 round. No one knows why they phased it out either.

[Dutchygamer]

Groovy I like the design...

[Cobretti]

China's military stuff as of lately has been very fishy. For example their brand new bullpup variant rifle they had just implemented last year is already being replaced with a different one that's in the classic AK configuration, just modernized and chambered for the chinese 5.8 round. No one knows why they phased it out either.

Really? The QBZ-95 (the bullpup rifle) has been in service since the late 1990s and isn't being replaced...the new rifle is going to supplement it.

[ultimentra]

Its been thought to supplement it but why would they be fielding two completely different rifles within their infantry? It doesn't make sense. And it was in general service in the 1990s, it was in use for special forces. It's pretty obvious the standard chinese conscript still gets an AK. The reason why they thought it was in general service was because when China was handed back control of Hong Kong from Britain (I think) the soldiers stationed there were using them. Though I highly doubt they were massed produced for general service, it just doesn't seem like good military strategy.

Back to the topic at hand, China having a stealth bomber...well it had to happen someday right? Thing is I am sure the US military or the high ups knew about this for awhile and are most likely developing or starting to develop something to counter it.

[Pickysaurus]

The reason why they thought it was in general service was because when China was handed back control of Hong Kong from Britain (I think) the soldiers stationed there were using them. Though I highly doubt they were massed produced for general service, it just doesn't seem like good military strategy.

You are correct there.

I can't see why China really needs stealth tech, I mean they've got enough soliders to just spam any country

[Overdose]

Stealth bombers are handy because you can stage a nuclear attack while escaping the blame.

[The_Hunter]

Also numbers don't win wars.

Take out their communication and they will be slaughterd without orders or guidance from their commanders.
A very good example of how numbers don't win a war is this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War

Finland was outnumbered greatly in this war and yet they won.

[Raven]

Yes... also PLA is hoping to reduce its numbers i guess. There long term plan is to develop a high-tech force with lesser numbers. Ofcourse it would still be larger in numbers but not as large as it is now.

[ultimentra]

Taking out communications for all of china would be difficult. Also, its true that while numbers don't win wars, I don't think the finland winter war is an applicable example. After all, war has changed dramatically since then. I believe that modern chinese airforce operators would have some form of autonomy much like modern US and British as well as other allied air forces do. There are protocols for loss of communication.

Another reason why a stealth bomber is so helpful is that you literally can strike wherever you want to without fail. Its alot like using Aurora Alphas in Zero Hour, it may be expensive and they may not come home, but knowing that your ordinance will arrive and destroy the target without fail in extremely valuable in the grand scheme of things. Stealth technology was hard to develop, so it will be hard to defeat. Like I said before, the US and China as well as other nations im sure are working on ways to defeat it right now.

[wb21]

Again, CommanderJB said a comment back at ModDB about the Winter War:

Russia lost to Finland because virtually the entirety of the Red Army's skilled leadership (the ones with handy qualities like independent thinking, creativity, originality and a willingness to question bad orders) had been eliminated in Stalin's purges. Not only that but the majority of the troops had little motivation, were poorly trained and were fighting in conditions that were in some cases alien to them (though admittedly not all). The Finns, on the other hand, were motivated by the desire to defend their homes (there are few stronger), well-organised with inspired leadership, and intimately familiar with the (extraordinarily harsh) terrain on which they were fighting.
Also, for your information, they didn't 'lose to Finland'; the Winter War ended in a stalemate with Russia keeping the parts of Finland it had gained thus far, but unable to get any further, and the Finns being too worn out to attempt a counter-offensive at that point. They did try it a few years later in the Continuation War, (where they actually invaded Russia), during World War II; but Russia was able to successfully keep the Finns from regaining any substantial territory, so they most certainly didn't lose in the balance.

On a funny side: http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/S...ors/finland.jpg

Back to the topic, well, they've beaten the Russians in making a real stealth bomber (as far as any info has been disclosed)... I'm sure that either sides could be making technologies to detect 'em... a possibility of making them obsolete and create a new stealth technology. This bomber would replace its fleet of H-6s (Tu-16) once in service possibly early next decade, but they should have used it as a supplementary aircraft and make a new conventional, role-specific (heavy, supersonic, etc.) strategic bomber if they have one (perhaps another copy of a Russian plane, eg Tu-22M/-160), as it would be an overpowering weapon for the PLAAF (if any weapons conventions or treaties apply)...

This post has been edited by D' WRTHBRNGR: 12 Aug 2009, 11:33

[Alceister]

It'll be at least another 10-20 years before China can do anything like introduce an advanced stealth bomber design into widespread service. After all, the vast majority of their aircraft are models introduced in the 60's. The sheer size of the Chinese military works against it because it takes so long to reequip the various arms of service with newer equipment. Anything state-of-the-art they put into service may well become outdated or obsolete by the time of introduction.

[Shiro]

Real or not, those aircrafts look good.

[alax]

something tells me it wont make it past the prototype stage