The new H-20 bomber, which will soon make its public debut, may allow the People’s Liberation Army Air Force to penetrate Taiwan’s air defenses in the early hours of the Chinese invasion of the island nation.

These same H-20s can simply bomb radars and surface-to-air missile sites, drilling holes in Taiwan’s air defense network through which China’s non-stealth fighter jets can fly to propel the PLA attack.

But according to one expert, China already has more than enough firepower to bring down Taiwan’s air defenses, in the form of non-nuclear ballistic missile charges belonging to the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force.

For PLAAF, the H-20 is a luxury. A beloved and prestigious weapon that, while it’s good to have it, probably won’t make much difference in the kind of war that China is the ultimate that will probably wage, said Tom Cooper, an independent aviation expert.

“Reunifying” Taiwan, through force if necessary, is the central objective of China’s foreign policy. And China already has all the weapons necessary for that goal, according to Cooper’s estimate.

“The H-20 will only be applied once it is put into service, in about 10 years from now,” Cooper said. But Taiwan’s air defenses “are nothing on which the PLA cannot succeed now. “

The H-20 has been a progression for years at Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation in central China. Xian also manufactures many PLA heavy aircraft, adding traditional H-6 bombers and Y-20 aircraft carriers.

Xian and PLAAF began making fun of the world a few years ago with H-20 glimpses. The attacker gave the impression in ephemeral shots in two official promotional videos, still under a south-hander.

But the H-20’s indirect perspectives have a lot on its design. The H-20 is obviously a giant flying wing of the US Air Force’s B-2 and B-21 stealth bombers. But it’s not the first time

Form makes sense. With blank lines and no vertical rear surface, a flying wing confers a maximum degree of radar stealth, which can improve the H-20’s ability within Taiwan’s dense air defense network with its radar and overlapping missile coverage.

The H-20 can simply play the role of suppressing enemy air defenses, or SEADs, by shooting down radars and missile sets to give upcoming forces a greater chance of surviving their own attacks. SEAD is one of the most vital and damaging missions in all air. Combat.

But China solved its SEAD challenge years ago by combining one of the world’s toughest non-nuclear rocket arsenals, including short-, medium- and long-range cell ballistic missile loads, all of which can succeed in Taiwan from bases. China comfortably.

PLARF continues to load new and more effective rockets. And it’s a tough education. ” In 2019, the [People’s Republic of China] introduced more ballistic missiles for testing and education than the rest of the combined world,” the Defense Department said in its 2020 annual report on China.

No one doubts that a barrage of rockets would constitute China’s opening up against Taiwan. “Any war would start with the deployment of the full force of this arsenal,” Cooper said.

“The PMRA is in a position to launch missile strikes opposed to high-value targets,” the Pentagon reported, “including [command] facilities, air bases, radar sites and others in Taiwan with the aim of degrading Taiwan’s defenses, neutralizing Taiwan’s leadership, or breaking the public’s will to fight.

Beijing “has ballistic missile strikes to degrade Taiwan’s air defenses so that H-6s and other non-stealth fighter jets can carry out follow-up attacks,” said Andreas Rupprecht, an independent expert on Chinese fighter jets.

The question is whether rockets would suffice. If this is the case, the H-20 is redundant for a war opposed to Taiwan.

Cooper obviously knows where he is. The H-20 may make it less difficult for the PLA to achieve its war goals, he said. But it is already simple and less and less difficult, due to the overwhelming and developing strength of EPRA. “Taiwan’s position becomes critical. “

I’m a journalist and filmmaker founded in Columbia, South Carolina.