The dock lights were a chilling white, like knives pressed against your eyelids. The 004 aircraft carrier glided across the sea surface without a sound, the 80,000-ton iron behemoth as light as a cat landing. There was no ribbon-cutting, the live broadcast camera covers weren't even opened, only the crackling of welding sparks as they touched up the steel plates. A young man squatted on the outermost edge tightening bolts, a white line ripped from his trouser leg by the steel plate, but he didn't have time to look down, his wrench spinning like a whirlwind. At that moment, the two 3.2-meter-diameter "hearts" of the ship were already installed, each weighing 480 tons, taller than a four-story building, lifted by 64 sets of hydraulic jacks working together, 38 hours without a break, with 27 nuclear safety officers taking counts every 15 minutes, stopping the operation if the temperature difference was 0.5 degrees. In layman's terms, this "kettle" has been boiling water for forty years, without needing to change the filter, and it's quieter than an old air conditioner.

Some grumbled, "It's just a ship, we have those too." But the deck docking error is 0.17 millimeters, thinner than a human hair. An experienced worker said that assembling an aircraft carrier used to be like assembling a floor, now it's a single, seamless slide, moving only 0.3 millimeters per hour—so slow even an ant could overtake. This tiny gap could extend the life of a carrier-based aircraft's landing gear by five years. The data may seem dry, but behind the numbers lies the sacrifice of mere "approximately"—a sacrifice made easy.

In the same night sky, a H-20 bomber at a high-altitude airport was practicing its "catwalk." No vertical tail, a flat back, like a ruler with its edges whittled. It was there in the autumn of 2023, performing short takeoffs in 2025, and by 2026 it had already lifted its nose wheel 17 times. The cabin noise level was 58 decibels, almost like a couple's whisper; at 7,000 meters, you could still hear your own heartbeat. The advantage of this quietness is that enemy radar has to be right up to its face to detect it, giving the enemy enough reaction time to make a bowl of instant noodles.

The sea is even darker. The Type 095 nuclear submarine performs a "deep squat" at a depth of 600 meters, its hull being squeezed by 60 atmospheres of pressure, yet it only deflates by 2.3 millimeters, half the theoretical limit. Three layers of anechoic tiles adhere closely, absorbing noise from 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz, while the shaftless pump-jet further reduces noise by 18 decibels. The previously buzzing Type 093G now sounds like a refrigerator turned off. Underwater opponents have to turn their sonar volume up to the maximum, only to hear the sound of their own blood flowing through their headphones. By then, the Type 095 is already pressed against their backs, and the game is over.

The skies are bustling too. The three sixth-generation fighter jets are each operating independently: the Lifeng-36 reaches Mach 2.6, the Yunjun-50 performs 11 consecutive 9G loops, and its variable-sweep wings can rotate from 22 to 68 degrees in 0.8 seconds, their wings opening and closing like fans. All three aircraft share a single "brain," a 128-core domestically produced chip, capable of delivering missiles from 420 kilometers away. Manned aircraft can carry drones, launching in droves, returning only to count the warheads.

Don't think only high-end equipment is expensive. A pulse capacitor factory in Dalian produces 12 sets of energy storage modules daily, specifically for the Type 004 electronic missile, capable of 8,000 charge-discharge cycles—a lifespan that will wear out the calendar. Xinjiang's refueling aircraft uses magnetic levitation hoses, achieving a 99.2% docking success rate. Don't underestimate this 0.2; it determines whether you can go home for barbecue during a long-range strike. High-purity gallium arsenide chips have passed military inspection, improving radar visibility; the enemy can be detected the moment they raise their hand.

The Type 055B destroyer "Yan'an" didn't dock for 142 days, its radar monitored 47 sea-skimming targets for 72 hours, its laser cannon destroyed a drone in 2.3 seconds, and its vertical launch system, a hybrid of air defense, anti-missile, and anti-ship capabilities, served multiple purposes—like a refrigerator door that can freeze both beer and dumplings. The Type 076 destroyer "Hengshan" had elevator shafts pre-installed, allowing for easy installation of tiltrotor aircraft later. Even before commissioning, the ship had contingency plans—like laying fiber optic cables before renovations.

What truly tormented them were the details. A veteran engineer hadn't returned to Anhui for two years, eating boxed lunches in the dock during the Spring Festival, his phone's photos of his daughter worn down; a H-20 test pilot hadn't changed his profile picture in three years, his hand-drawn sketches of small aircraft crooked and messy; a sonar engineer in the South China Sea saved 127 images, each with handwritten coordinates, the handwriting blurred by sweat. No one gave them trending topics, only a security guard handing them an opened bottle of mineral water when they finished get off work at 4 AM.

Some people like to compare national power to fireworks, which should be celebrated with global applause. But for the past few decades, we've been more like patching a tire in the dark, patiently working to smooth out the cracks. The 0.17 millimeters of the Type 004 aircraft carrier, the 18 decibels of the Type 095 destroyer, and the 58 decibels of the H-20 bomber—the numbers are pitifully small, yet they keep the "what if" at bay. You don't notice them during the day while commuting on the subway or scrolling through short videos, but they're like Wi-Fi signals—invisible yet reassuring.

Military enthusiasts always ask, "Who are we going to fight?" The truth is, nobody wants to fight; we've just taken the option of "fighting" away from others. Before, the discussion was about "whether we have aircraft carriers," now it's about "11.3% higher thermal efficiency"—the tone has changed, and so has the confidence. It's like borrowing a neighbor's bicycle as a child; now, we build our own bikes and want to adjust the seat to the most comfortable angle.

Night faded to gray, the dock lights went out, and the welder tightened the last bolt, casually showing his wife the scratch: "Another pair of pants ruined." She replied with an emoji, and he chuckled before jumping off the deck. The 80,000-ton behemoth floated in the water, like a well-fed whale, too lazy to turn over. High in the distance, a H-20 retracted its landing gear; the pilot in the cockpit yawned, the noise less loud than the air conditioning. A dark shadow swam by underwater; the Type 095 aircraft switched off active noise cancellation, and the world fell silent instantly.

They're not in a hurry to trend on social media because they know that true security doesn't come from screaming, but from the light shining silently at 3 a.m. You might ask, what does this have to do with me? Think about the soy milk you queue for tomorrow morning; without these "0.17 millimeters" of protection, the price might triple. Peace is never a free breakfast; it's just that someone else is paying for it.

1. Basic Positioning

Model Positioning: China's first stealth strategic bomber, comparable to the US B-2A "Spirit" and B-21 "Raider".

Design Goal: To penetrate the "second island chain" defense and perform long-range strike missions with both nuclear and conventional capabilities.

2. Speculated Performance Parameters

(1) Stealth Performance

Radar Cross Section (RCS): Expected ≤0.01㎡ (comparable to the B-2), employing a flying wing layout, stealth coating, and internal bomb bay design.

Infrared/Acoustic Stealth: Possibly equipped with a new engine cooling system and noise reduction technology.

(2) Range and Payload

Range: Speculated at approximately 10,000-12,000 km (without aerial refueling), possessing intercontinental strike capability.

Payload: Estimated 10-20 tons, capable of carrying:

Conventional munitions: Precision-guided bombs (such as the LS-6), cruise missiles (Changjian-20). Nuclear Weapons: New air-launched ballistic missiles or hypersonic weapons (similar to the air-launched version of the Dongfeng-17).

(3) Propulsion System

Engine: Possibly four WS-18 turbofan engines (an improved version of the D-30KP2) or a new WS-20 turbofan engine, which may be upgraded to a stealth-optimized version in the future.

Supersonic Capability: Highly debated; the mainstream view is subsonic (similar to the B-2), while a minority speculate that it possesses limited supersonic penetration capability.

(4) Avionics and Combat Systems

Radar: Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, with detection range and anti-jamming capabilities superior to the H-6K.

Electronic Warfare System: Integrated electronic countermeasures suite, supporting autonomous penetration.

Artificial Intelligence Assistance: Possibly integrating an AI-assisted decision-making system to improve multi-target strike efficiency. 

3. Comparison with Existing Models

Parameters: H-20 (speculated)           /     H-6K               /            US B-2A

Range: 10,000-12,000 km                 /    6,000 km          /           11,000 km

Payload: 10-20 tons                         /    12 tons             /            23 tons

Stealth: Strong (flying wing layout)   /     None               /             Extremely strong (RCS < 0.1㎡)

Engine: WS-18/20 (x4)                    /    D-30KP2 (x2)    /             F118-GE-100 (x4)

4. Strategic Significance

Triad Nuclear Deterrence: Fills the gap in China's air-based nuclear strike capability, forming a complete nuclear deterrent system with the DF-41 and Type 094 nuclear submarines. **Area Denial/Anti-Access:** It could pose a threat to US military bases such as Guam and Diego Garcia, supporting the "Anti-Access/Area Denial" (A2/AD) strategy.

**Technological Leap:** If stealth and intercontinental range are achieved, it will become the world's second operational stealth strategic bomber.

**5. Key Questions and Challenges:**
**Reasons for Delays:** May involve engine reliability, stealth material manufacturing processes, or adjustments to strategic requirements.

**Cost and Mass Production:** The cost per aircraft may exceed $1 billion, and initial mass production may be limited (similar to the B-2).

H-20；

H-20 Bomber；

Hong 20