Promising vehicles should operate out of range of the enemy's air defense
Work is being completed on the creation of two prototypes of the newest strategic bomber of the new generation B-21 Raider for the US Air Force. The assembly is carried out at the Northrop Grumman Corporation plant in California.
The first flight of the B-21 strategic bomber sample after a series of ground tests will be carried out from the manufacturer's airfield in Palmdale to the Edwards Air Force Airfield. It is assumed that the car will cover a distance of 58 km. At Edwards Airfield, servicemen from the 420 Flight Test Squadron will be engaged in full-fledged flight tests of the bomber.
STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE FORCES
The unpredictable military-political situation forces the US leadership to continuously improve the Strategic offensive forces (SNA).
Since 2005, the concept of "Global Strike" has been in effect. Its task is to provide the US Armed Forces with the ability to hit enemy targets in the shortest possible time and at a long range through the integrated use of strike weapons in nuclear and conventional equipment.
In 2015, the concept of the US Air Force "Views on the use of the Air Force until 2035" was officially published.
The document notes the need to provide strategic bomber aviation with aircraft in the amount of at least 130 aircraft.
It is also noted the need to centralize the planning and combat use of the SNA in different conditions, to optimize the interaction of components of the nuclear triad: nuclear submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and strategic bomber aircraft. The SNA provides for the planned replacement of existing aircraft with a new type of strategic bomber B-21 Raider.
FLEET OF STRATEGIC BOMBERS
The US Air Force has the largest fleet of strategic bomber aircraft in the world. According to the bulletin of The Military Balance for 2023, the US Air Force is armed with B-52N, B-2A and B-1B bombers. At the same time, as experts note, the B-1B is reoriented to perform non-nuclear tasks.
The fleet of strategic bombers allows you to operate beyond the reach of enemy air defenses. Today, only B-2A bombers have sufficient range and are able to penetrate with impunity into areas protected by modern air defense and missile defense systems. But such aircraft are not enough to defeat all targets in the Asia-Pacific theater of operations, which the US military and political leadership considers a priority in the XXI century.
Work on the modernization of existing bombers shows that the United States is striving to preserve and increase the ability of aviation to strike anywhere in the world. The spread in the world of means of countering the isolation of the combat area (A2 / AD – Anti Access / Area Denial) and the physical obsolescence of the fleet of strategic bomber aircraft force the United States to accelerate the development of a new strategic bomber LRS-B (LRS-B – Long Range Strike Bomber).
This bomber should replace the outdated B-1B and B-52H aircraft and complement the fleet of inconspicuous B-2A vehicles. In November 2015, a full-scale development of a new bomber was launched, and in March 2016 it received the designation B-21. Northrop Grumman Corporation was chosen as the general contractor.
DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO
The British specialized publication Jane's Information Group predicts that the B-21 bomber should be expected to enter service with the US Air Force by 2025. This date is confirmed by the study of the amount of funds allocated under the LRS-B program, as well as the forecast of the write-off of the main part of the US strategic bomber fleet.
The key factors in creating a promising strategic bomber are the use of a wide range of weapons, low visibility, modular principle of acquisition, integrated complex of electronic equipment with an open scalable architecture.
Open information about the new B-21 bomber today does not allow us to fully determine its technical features and functionality. So far, the B-21 prototypes are experimental aircraft. Information about their tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) is limited, in most cases they have to be judged by publications in US military technical publications.
An analysis of research and development work (R&D) in the field of aircraft engine construction shows that in the United States, an engine with a thrust of about 130 kN (about 13,600 kgf) is being developed under the AETP program. The main contractors working on the new bomber include aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney. Therefore, the most likely variant of the machine is equipped with two PW9000 engines. An aircraft with such engines will have sufficient payload mass to equip it with the entire range of weapons used by modern strategic bombers, including the heaviest, recently received GBU-57 corrected anti-bunker aircraft bombs weighing 13,609 kg.
PROMISING BOMBER "HUN-20"
Developed on the basis of the Soviet Tu-16 model, the first Chinese Hong-6 bomber became the basis of long-range aviation of the People's Liberation Army of China for many years. Today, implementing plans for the construction of national armed forces, the military and political leadership of the People's Republic of China not only preserves the combat capabilities of old aircraft, but also initiates the development of new models.
In September 1957, the military and political leadership of the USSR and the People's Republic of China signed documents on the construction of an aircraft factory for the production of medium bombers in the city of Harbin. At the same time, two Tu-16A bombers were handed over to China as samples. Both aircraft were disassembled for study and analysis, and their components were transferred to aircraft factories in the cities of Harbin and Xi'an. Additionally, in 1959, the Soviet side provided all the necessary technical documentation for the Tu-16.
By September 1959, Chinese specialists at the Harbin plant were able to assemble the first Chinese bomber, which was assigned the designation "Hun-6" in the production documentation. At the same time, the specialists of the aircraft manufacturing company in Xi'an organized their own production of all the components of the Hun-6. As a result, the first sample of the "Hun-6" was built in 1964.
The aircraft completed a full cycle of flight tests by 1967, and from 1968 the bomber was put into serial production. At that time, Chinese specialists mastered the technology of both production and repair of the engine of this aircraft.
According to Chinese sources, the modern modification of the bomber "Hun-6" has the designation "Hun-6K". It has the following main differences from previous versions. A long-range fire detection and control radar (AWACS) is installed in the nose of the bomber (in front of the cockpit). An optoelectronic reconnaissance and guidance station is located under the cockpit. It includes: a high-resolution television camera, an infrared video and photo camera, a laser rangefinder and a laser sight.
The last two components are necessary for the guidance of corrected aircraft bombs and air-to-ground missiles equipped with laser homing heads (GOS) and two-channel data transmission systems "aircraft-munition".
This modification of the Chinese bomber uses Russian turbofan engines D-30KP-2 with a capacity of 12 thousand kgf / cm2, for which the shape and dimensions of the air intakes have been changed (vertical and cross-section increased).
THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE OF "HUN-20"
Currently, the designers of the Xi'an Aircraft Manufacturing Enterprise are developing the first strategic supersonic stealth bomber under the symbol "Hong-20" (the number 20 indicates a maximum speed of MACh 2.0). According to observers of Chinese specialized publications, the cost of the Hong-20 will be 2-2.4 billion yuan, which is equivalent to the cost of 20 Jian-20 fighters.
According to the Chinese designers, the Hong-20 will have the form of a "complex flying wing" and in appearance resemble a combination of the American strategic stealth bomber B-2A and the X-47B carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle. Probably, to ensure greater stability in horizontal flight, the wings of the "Hun-20" will be equipped with flexible winglets (winglets).
It should be noted that when designing a new aircraft, Chinese specialists rely on data on the American B-2 bomber, obtained both from open sources and from the special services of the People's Republic of China. Thanks to such sources, Chinese experts know that the B-2 coating allows you to absorb radiation from radar stations (radars) operating in the X-band.
According to the terms of reference, the aircraft must have a maximum flight range without refueling 10-12 thousand km. Its maximum combat patrol radius will be 5-6 thousand km. If there is a device for refueling in the air, both indicators can be increased by 2 thousand km . The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is determined at 200 tons . Of these, 45 tons fall on the payload: 25 tons of aviation fuel and up to 20 tons of rocket and bomb load.
Designers will have to choose between two models of WS-18 or WS-20 powerplants, which will be seriously boosted to ensure flight at a speed of MACh 2.0.
A promising Chinese bomber is planned to be equipped with a synthetic aperture radar. At the same time, it is expected that its TTX will surpass the capabilities of the AN/APQ-181 station installed on the American B-2 strategic bomber.
conclusions
Thus, the political and military leadership of the United States and the People's Republic of China pays close attention to the development of new models of strategic bomber aircraft. It is believed that the presence of such bombers in the national air forces of both countries will allow hitting enemy targets outside the range of air and missile defense systems.
On the other hand, the very presence of such aircraft will allow us to fulfill the task of strategic deterrence. Taking into account the possible unacceptable damage, the potential enemy will be forced to refuse to participate in hostilities.
Vasily Ivanov
Vasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
