Overview
- China’s H-20 is an acknowledged PLAAF program pursuing a flying-wing bomber intended to carry nuclear and conventional weapons with a projected range beyond 8,500–10,000 km, according to U.S. defense assessments.
- There remains no confirmed public evidence of flight testing or production, and China has not released official images or specifications as recent online imagery remains unverified.
- U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command chief Gen. Stephen L. Davis characterizes China as a regional bomber force and says the H-20 effort is not yet comparable to U.S. low‑observable platforms.
- Beijing’s current bomber operations rely on upgraded H-6 variants for regional missions, which analysts note are non‑stealthy and vulnerable to modern air defenses.
- Separate reporting points to a smaller regional stealth design, provisionally called JH‑XX, with February 2026 intelligence describing a tailless three‑engine concept whose maturity and timeline remain uncertain.