On February 20, 2024, the Singapore Air Show officially kicked off. In the much-anticipated flight show, many advanced aircraft from all over the world were displayed. Among them, the pass-through performance of two B-52H strategic bombers of the US military brought a shock to the air show.
Reliable veteran
As we all know, the US military has always had the strongest air force in the world, and its air force is the key factor to ensure that the US military wins every war. Therefore, their fighter jets must be one or two generations ahead of other countries to feel safe, so they will replace a generation of fighter jets almost every 20 years. However, the B-52 bomber is unique among them. The aircraft has been in service for 69 years since the initial model. In addition, the US military has announced that it will improve it and is expected to serve until around 2050, which means that the B-52 bomber will be in service for 100 years.
After officially serving in the US military in 1955, the B-52 produced a total of 8 models in just 7 years. By 1962, when the production line was stopped, nearly 750 aircraft had been produced. The latest model of the B-52 bomber currently in service with the US military is the B-52H, which is the latest and last model of the B-52. It was tested in July 1960 and equipped to the troops in March 1961. A total of 102 aircraft were produced.
The B-52H aircraft has a total length of 48.5 meters, a wingspan of 56.4 meters, a height of 12.4 meters, an empty weight of 83 kilograms, and a maximum take-off weight of 220,000 kilograms, which is comparable to the most advanced transport aircraft in many countries today. Such a large take-off weight allows its bomb load to reach nearly 30,000 kilograms. It should be noted that the bomb load of the most advanced B-2 bomber of the US military is only 23,000 kilograms. This type of bomber also uses a TF33-P-3 turbofan engine with a thrust of 75.71 kN, so the range is increased by 10~15%, reaching a considerable 16,232 kilometers.
model
In the past upgrades, the four machine guns in the tail turret of the aircraft were replaced with an M-616-tube 20mm Gatling gun controlled by the ASG.21 fire control system. In recent years, the gun has been replaced by a new electronic self-defense countermeasure device. In 1971, the H model was first improved, and the content was the same as the B-52G modification at the same time. In 1978, 95 B-52Hs were improved together with 98 B-52Gs. The improved B-52H does not have a wing root fairing. In 1982, these 95 B-52Hs were modified with rotary launchers carrying general strategic weapons in the bomb bay. Each launcher can carry 8 AGM-86B missiles, in addition to SRAM missiles, advanced cruise missiles and nuclear bombs. The first modified B-52H entered service in 1989. In June 1993, 47 B-52Hs began new improvements, including the improvement of the advanced weapon control system with the MIL-STD-1760 data bus as the core, and the installation of the GPS global positioning system. The improved H type can carry 16 "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles, or 6 AGM-142A air-to-ground missiles, or 12 Joint Direct Attack Weapons (JDAM), greatly improving its conventional combat capability.
The most praiseworthy thing about the B-52H is not its rich mounts and terrifying load capacity, but its range of up to 16,000 kilometers. You should know that this bomber was only a product of the US military in the 1950s and 1960s. The maximum range of the H-6K/J series bombers that my country has always benchmarked against (in fact, it cannot be benchmarked) is only half of that. The huge range allows the B-52H to perform intercontinental combat missions. Combined with a take-off weight of more than 200 tons, it can be said to be the most practical strategic bomber in active service in the United States.
During the Gulf War, the US military dispatched more than 1,000 B-52 sorties to bomb Iraq. During the day, the B-52 carried out rounds of bombing on the Iraqi army’s military bases and important industrial facilities. At night, the B-52 distributed psychological warfare declarations to the Iraqi army in the war zone. It is said that most of the Iraqi deserters in the Gulf War fled every day because they were afraid of the B-52. The entire combat mission lasted 42 days, and the bombs dropped by B-52 accounted for one-third of the US air strike bombs, and no B-52 was destroyed. In terms of performance and combat record, this veteran can be said to be quite reliable, which is why the US military has been reluctant to give up this model.
However, the B-52 is not invulnerable. Its huge size makes it the largest bomber in the US Air Force, but it is also easy to become the primary target of enemy radar and air defense missiles. So in terms of penetration capability, the B-52 is a bit dwarfed by the US B-2. B-52 generally needs several fighters to escort it when performing missions, and does not have the ability to penetrate the enemy camp alone. The reason why it has not been shot down in many wars is that it is dealing with some countries with relatively weak air defense capabilities. If it encounters modern and advanced air defense missiles, it is estimated that the B-52 will only be shot down.
In fact, what is really worth learning from is the US military’s development ideas for the B-52 bomber. From its long service life, it can be seen that the B-52 is indeed a very excellent bomber platform. The original model has a lot of modification space, which is very convenient for subsequent modernization and special task upgrades. In short, large-scale weapons and equipment such as platformization are becoming the mainstream in the world. This idea can also be seen in our military’s H-6, Y-20 and other aircraft.
When will my country’s strategic bomber come out?
Whether it is the B-52H with cost-effectiveness, the B-1B with supersonic and ultra-low altitude penetration capabilities, or the flying wing B-2 bomber with stealth, these are the trump cards that the US military can stand firm in the world. In contrast, although the continuous improvement of the H-6 series bombers has made a qualitative leap in avionics and strike capabilities, due to its short range, it is still not a true strategic bomber. So when will my country’s strategic bombers be available? Will it choose to follow the bombers like the B-2, or firmly follow our own path?
In fact, as early as September 1, 2016, General Ma Xiaotian, then commander of the Air Force, told the media at the Air Force Aviation Open Event that the Chinese Air Force was developing a new generation of long-range bombers. At that time, the names of the J-20 and Y-20 had already been confirmed, so everyone naturally named this bomber under development "H-20". When talking about this aircraft, Yin Zhuo, a famous military expert, believes that China’s new generation of strategic bombers must have strong stealth performance in order to ensure effective long-range penetration capability. The bomber can carry at least 20 tons of bombs, with a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers and a combat radius of 6,000 kilometers, and has global flight and strike capabilities.
In 2018, a propaganda film released by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China unexpectedly appeared an aircraft suspected of being the H-20. Its flying wing layout design similar to that of the B-2 gradually became clear. Soon after, CCTV’s program confirmed the existence of the "H-20" for the first time with official caliber. Since then, the voices questioning the existence of the "H-20" have disappeared, and everyone is looking forward to the day when it will be publicly unveiled. In 2021, in the new propaganda film of the Air Force, there appeared an aircraft parked in the hangar, covered tightly by twilight cloth. The outline of its flying wing layout is highly similar to the "mysterious aircraft" in the propaganda film of AVIC in 2018, which further confirmed the existence of my country’s strategic bomber H-20. At the same time, it also confirmed that the "H-20" will choose a flying wing layout similar to the B-2.
As for the improvement of the bomb load of the "H-20" compared with the current main "Six Masters", whether the range can surpass the US strategic bomber, in fact, we don’t need to guess, just wait for the H-20 to appear in front of us, and everything will be clear! Soon!
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