The Next Gen Long Range Strike Bomber

The Next Gen Long Range Strike Bomber

   The US aerospace giant Northrup Grumman secured the contract to Supply next generation long range Strike bombers to US Air Force. Companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin also participated in the contract, however due to the expertise in the Bomber development, Northrup Grumman won the tender. The actual development and project cost valued some $80 to $100 billions. The US government will provide some $60 billions just for development and another $20 billion for 100 bombers. As per contract Northrup will deliver the first LRS-B in 2020.

   Northrup Grumman is well known in stealth bomber development, the good example is B 2 Spirit. However the B 2 will not used for multi role operations. The B 2 only used for dropping guided bombs in contested air spaces and designed to perform Nuclear strike missions inside protected air space. The USAF currently operates only fifteen B 2 Bombers. The less number means due to the operational costs and mission needs. The B 2 is known for breaching any protected and communication denied air spaces to perform missions and safely return back to the base.

   The B 1 is the other hand designed by Rockwell to perform missions in safe airspace. The B1 specially designed to support US missions across the globe fighting against terrorism and conduct precision bombing in safe air space. USAF mission in Afghan, Iraq and current mission against ISIS is the good example of B1's capability striking targets pin point, The Bone or B-One carry's powerful camera's and EO Sensors to perform pin point strike against enemy ground targets. The Bone lacks in stealth, however it is designed with modern EW systems to spoof guided missiles.

    The Next Gen bomber LRS B could do all the above missions, The USAF facing guided missile threats allover the world. Small Mobile QR SAM's with engagement range up to 40,000 feet altitude is a threat to USAF bombers. B 1 has many external pods, like Targeting pods, navigational pods and EW Jammer Pods. A small visible external pod is enough to attract enemy attention even long away using Radar detection. So the new bomber will not carry anything on outside just like the B 2 Spirit to maintain the stealth signature.

   The Antenna's, EO systems, Targeting pods and EW systems will be fixed inside the Bomber. The high powerful high resolution camera's used  to identify ground threats like mobile air defense batteries and jamming systems also installed internally.  The Russians invested heavily in long range air defense systems and ground based communication denied systems to counter US fighters and Bombers.

Grumman B 2 Spirit

   The Russian S 400 air defense battery is very long range whose engagement range is more than 400 kilometers with active seeker and supported by long range radar's for higher kill probability. The S 400 also highly mobile system can be moved in a matter of time. Most of the US intelligence gathered by satellites only. The satellite information's are not highly accurate due to earth's curvature rotation and due to the mobile capability the systems can be can be easily moved. It's also very hard to detect the systems due to camouflage covers over the targets.

   The B 2 bombers can actually use the GPS guided bombs to hit stationary targets like Radar stations, Air bases and Hangers. The B 2 gets real time target information and location info from the spy satellite's . The Kosovo war is a good example, The B 2 dropped guided bombs in predesignated targets. which destroyed Radar stations, command centers and Air bases. However the situations are changed now, When coming to Russia they were much intelligent than the others. Most of the Russian anti air missiles and Radar systems are highly mobile which can pose serious threats to USAF, which can't be targeted using the GPS guided JDAM kits.

   The B 1 on the other side is a perfect choice to counter mobile targets, Fitted with high powerful long range passive radar along with Sniper laser targeting pods, The real time onboard system allows the B 1 can conduct strike missions in high precision even fast moving targets. The Bone can carry laser guided bombs to strike moving targets illuminated by laser beams. This is very useful when engaging fast moving targets like Tanks and high value targets. The Only problem in the B 1is  it's not a stealth platform, So it can't be used to conduct missions in contested airspace's like Russia, China and Iran the rival American enemies.

    The Communication jamming is the other technique used by the military's to counter air bound threats. Russians relay's on both ground based fixed jammer stations and mobile jammers. The Russians constructed a bigger ground based jamming station in occupied Ukrainian  territories. The system can jam any kind of communication channels within the 150 kilometer of radius, like data link,satellite communications and even IFF responders signals too. Entering such communication denied air space is like going to enemy's cave blindly. The Russians almost controlled entire Ukrainian airspace from further NATO led intervention to help Ukrainian forces to recapture the lost grounds.

   The ground based communication jamming system known as R 330 Zhytel which is already operational in Donestk, Ukraine. Where the territory belongs to Ukrainian captured by Russian sponsored Militants. The system will suppress mobile satellite phone communication systems like Inmarsat and Iridum which phones are widely used by Americans and private military contractors for Air support and communication intelligence. The system also jam mobile communication system ranging in GSM and CDMA. It also jams NAVSTAR satellite based navigation system aided by GPS. The US tomahawk follows NAVSTAR based satellite guidance. 

R 330 Zhytel

   The Mobile based communication jammer is known by Krakusha, It's highly mobile platform used to jam all the as said above in shorter range.  Russia deployed the Krakusha EW systems in Syria to safe their mission from NATO and Israeli air crafts. Both of the systems are hardly get detected by SAR imaginary and Satellite pictures. Also striking those systems in first wave also a bigger challenge to USAF in future warfare.

    To eradicate all the above said threats the LRS B must comes with superior systems to bypass all the future threats too. It's clear that NG Bomber must comes with stealth characteristics with highly reduced radar cross section than the previous B 2 Spirit and F 22 Raptor. The onboard antenna's will be designed to support missions even in communication denied air spaces to achieve aerial superiority to further invasion. 

China Plans to Build new Long Range Bomber

China Plans to Build new Long Range Bomber

      Reports revels that China plans to build a new generation long range bomber to strike beyond 3000 kilometers of enemy territory, The Chinese has many numbers  of H 6 variants of subsonic long range Nuclear bombers their numbers reach more 100, the range of those Bombers is more than 2000 kilometers, China is the fourth country to use long range bombers after America Russia and England. those H 6 is a redesigned variants of the soviet era Tu 12, But China subsequently upgrades them and makes those Bombers Combat capable upto 2020. 

      Almost all H 6 E variants undergo upgrades in early 2007, and the updates includes structural changes, new composite materials for wings and Tails, improved Engine inlets, full digital and Glass cockpits, along with advanced counter measure systems and electronic attack systems.  China operates more than hundred of H 6K for Nuclear delivery from aerial platform. those H 6K can launch upto four CJ 10 A Long range Nuclear armed Cruise missiles range upto 1500 kilometers, with a Half ton heavy payload, allows the Bomber can Strike deep inside India and Their Targets in South Asian Nations. and US Bases in Pacific Ocean.

      The another variant of H 6 is used for Anti shipping Missions, those modernized H 6 Naval Bombers known as H 6 D, those Bombers comes with deadly long range C 601 Anti Shipping missile based on the Soviet Termit missile. those were later upgraded into C 301 missiles, each H 6 D can carry upto four such missiles in it's wings, those supersonic anti shipping missiles having strike range of more than 250 kilometers with it's 500 kg HE warheads. H 6 used in one more variant which is used for Aerial Refueling missions, It's believed nearly 10 such of them assigned for Refueling role.

      Even if those  H 6 can fly high and Speed, those H 6 can be easily intercepted by the Modern Combat Jets, one or two Air to air missiles can easily bring down the Aircraft, also it can be easily observed by the Radar's due to common RCS, only difficult is it could use the Civil transport altitude to hide it's identity, even with advanced network centric hubs, one can easily find out unidentified Aircraft and calls the Air force about the Mystery Air plane.

     So the Chinese need to build a brand new platform to bypass radars, and with Bomb bays. only the American Bombers like B 2 and B 1 can easily bypass through the enemy Radar networks and sneak through any Air defense, they fly high or very low even at full speed, both having bomb bays and larger combat radius, the B2 having range of more than 10,000 kilometers, without any refuel, unlike other soviet Heavy long range bombers lacks stealth aspects only.

       China Known for cloning and stealing foreign Prototypes and blue prints, they even have blue prints of F 35, But they don't have the knowledge to crack that millions of codes used in the F 35, earlier  they managed to clone the American C 17, and managed to clone a Reaper drone, although those complex Machines won't give good result to the Chinese, they do have many Ex Soviet scientists, so they easily can build a Model if China managed to steal a Russian project, But it's hard to get a performance of American machines Clones,

  

     So it's a Question that does China has the capacity to build Stealth Bomber, earlier this year China publishes a image that showing a Chinese Bomber completely redesigned B 2 model with four Cruise missile in it's pylons, but the Aviation experts calls that's just a Propaganda image that China's plan of Building a Bomber, But that picture is similar to a Light Bomber Su 32/34. does not look like a good Bomber,

      The truth remains strong, that China don't have the technology to build a Long range bomber par with the Americans and Russians, even if they managed to build one, it will not gives them good performance compared to the real one.

Chinese Stealth Bomber

Chinese Stealth Bomber

Model of Chinese Bomber with four cruise Missiles

      Recent days there were hundreds of arts speculating proposed model of Chinese next generation sub sonic stealth bomber, where Americans are already a leader in both subsonic and supersonic Stealth and non stealth Bombers, Now the Russians who planning to build a Next generation stealth Bomber without saying sub or super sonic concepts, So Chinese too stepped with this Long Range bombers.

        As of now Americans only have good bombers with stealth low Flying Supersonic Swept wing Bomber the Lancer B 1, second of that B 2 which is a Long Range subsonic super stealth Bomber, B 52 comes only third of it because of it's length payload and hard points makes it-decent standoff capability.

       When comes to Russia, they also have a  supersonic swept wing Bomber, but don't have good stealth aspects, and they were upgrading it to compete in future Battles, so they have also a requirement of Long range bomber, Russians already have a program named PAK DA but the project was shelved due to budget problems, they have some Tu 22 Supersonic bombers they are not a bombers but it's a Cruise Missile carriers originally designed to Strike US Navy Ships.

      China planning a good Bomber, but they lacks in serious aeronautics structures to build or invent Bigger Aircraft suitable for Military bombers unlike western and Americans they have bigger facilities and technical advantages compared to China, There were pictures art of Chinese bombers ever three months rolled out in internet. but they were easily debunked by Internet based military analysts. This time too Chinese fan boys bring an Model, showing a mix of YF 23, PAK DA model and Su 34 cockpit and carrying four Long range Cruise missiles two in each wings.

     But this looks better improved than the previously published Model of Chinese Bombers.

    The Picture seems nothing but a good art without good aero structural knowledge the Air intakes are good examples for that, they looks for the Internal weapons bays bigger so they shifted the Air intake above the airframe, but missed it's size.

The picture seems crazy cause it was flying above the Japanese Senaku Diyou Islands, I sure Japanese comes with a Picture of F 2 hunting a chines bomber above senaku Islands.

Chinese Bomber above Senaku Islands

Russian Model of PAK DA Bomber

Russian Bomber Model