Flying-wing bomber unveiling forecast by aviation experts

A new-generation long-range bomber is likely soon unveil, aviation industry observers said amid disclosure of the plane’s appearance by its developer on Tuesday.

Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation’s leading aircraft maker, displayed a front view of what appears to be a flying-wing aircraft concept at the end of a promotional video. The video was published on its WeChat account to mark the 60th birthday of Xi’an Aircraft Industry, an AVIC subsidiary in Shaanxi province that is China’s major builder of bomber aircraft.

The video shows an artistic rendering of a triangle-shaped plane under two English words and ellipses, “The Next……”. The scene closely resembles a moment in a 2015 promotional video from United States aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman that depicted what is now known as the B-21 Raider, the US’s next long-range, stealth strategic bomber.
AVIC did not explain the six-second episode, placed at the end of the video in an unmistakable attempt to highlight the plane’s significance and mystery.

Despite its brevity, the video seems to have ended debate among Chinese military fans and aviation industry observers on whether the country’s new bomber will adopt a conventional aerodynamic configuration or a flying-wing design previously used only by the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

China is likely to soon unveil one of its most anticipated weapons — a new-generation long-range #bomber, aviation industry observers said amid disclosure of the plane’s appearance by its developer on Tuesday.

—  (@ChinaDailyUSA) May 8, 2018

Shi Jian, senior editor at Aviation World Monthly magazine, said the latest AVIC move indicates that the State-owned defense giant believes the new bomber’s design and technologies have advanced enough that the company wants to let people know of the program’s progress.
He said the flying-wing design should not have been difficult for Chinese engineers when they designed the bomber, explaining the real challenges lie in the plane’s flight-control system and engines.

Fu Qianshao, an aircraft expert said it will probably have an operational range of at least 12,000 kilometers and a maximum payload of 20 metric tons of bombs and missiles.



This concept plane:

• Length: 34.5m
• Wing Span: 32.9m
• Height: 4.9m
• Empty weight: 56,000 kg
• Take-off weight: 126,000 kg
• Max take-off weight: 132,000 kg
• Thrust: 4 x 150 kN
• Internal fuel: 60,000 kg
• Max speed: Mach 2.0
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.9
• Range: 12,500 km
• Combat radius: 6000 km
• Service ceiling: 18,000 m
• Thrust to weight: 0.48
• Max internal payload: 20,000 kg