China has unveiled a new, advanced stealth aircraft.
Images and videos emerged on December 26, 2024, showcasing the aircraft in flight, accompanied by a Chengdu J-20S fighter. The mysterious aircraft’s design features a tailless configuration, with a diamond-shaped wing and an array of control surfaces, leading to speculation about its role in China’s evolving air fleet.
This new development is part of China’s ongoing push to develop next-generation combat aircraft. The aircraft’s size and unique aerodynamic design suggest it’s intended for long-range operations, with an emphasis on low observability and endurance.
The aircraft’s engines, fed by multiple intakes, appear to be positioned for optimal stealth and high-speed performance.
Unlike previous Chinese designs, this aircraft lacks traditional tail surfaces, a move that aligns with stealth-focused trends in Western military aviation, including the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. The tailless design may help reduce radar cross-section and improve fuel efficiency, enhancing its capabilities for sustained high-speed flight.
However, it may come at the cost of manoeuvrability, with a reliance on advanced flight control systems to compensate for the lack of traditional tail control surfaces.
According to Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), while the aircraft’s design is “fascinating,” it is likely part of China’s ongoing regional bomber/strike fighter development, rather than their sixth-generation fighter programme.
Fascinating that the PLAAF/CCP have chosen to fly this prototype in daylight now…
I’d be cautious about attributing it as China’s NGAD-equivalent 6th gen fighter though. I suspect more likely to be the 5th Gen regional bomber/strike fighter project sometimes called J/H-XX https://t.co/Jwv8Ka5kT4— Justin Bronk (@Justin_Br0nk) December 26, 2024
He cautioned that the aircraft might not match the performance expectations set by the U.S. NGAD, but it could represent a significant leap in China’s tactical airpower capabilities.
The presence of the J-20S chase plane suggests the new aircraft is undergoing rigorous testing.
There seems to be an intake on the top as well.
I hope that the western technology is better, and that it’s not stealthy enough for our systems.
Three engines as well, suggests a very large range, high cruise speed (likely high supercruise), and large power generation capacity.
Shenyang reportedly tested their own sixth generation technology demonstrator recently. GCAP has to ready to face down these planes, with Britain or more likely with the JASDF. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how it stacks up.
I agree but how many GCAP aircraft will we end up getting and when? As usual, we can expect that we will get only a handful that are years late….
Of course, no Western politicians will recognize an enhanced potential ChiCom threat, based upon emerging technologies, until it is too late to counter. 🤔☹️
Perhaps this will focus the mind of the incoming administration, threatening to annex the territory of two NATO members is perhaps the worst thing that can be done for western unity in the face of an existential threat posed by China. In a political environment like this is now very easy for China to pull away individual members and also justify its own actions in Taiwan by stating that Russia and the USA are also annexing their neighbours.
True. The latest threats made by Trump means we cannot trust USA, at all. France is not folles by any of thèse new developers. May be Denmark thought that spying on behalf of NSA would be enough to keep USA at bay. Look where they are now.
The latest Chinese plane, tailless, can be carrier based, will not be manouverable, is difficult to stabilise above Mach 1. Probably stealthy at a time where stealth is no longuet the goal… Very strange design. May be is is for a drone?
Given the very large input from the Japanese and how efficient their intelligence services are. I will be very surprised if they are not aware of this aircraft and GCAP being designed to counter China future aircraft and tech.
The entire western world will have been aware of this aircraft for some years. Chinese tech has a long way to go to match western aircraft. I’d be happy In a F15 against something like this.
The USAF disagrees, Chinese missile are longer range than US missiles and while their engines are not yet there, their radars are supposed to be very good.
USA as a very deep engineering problem. But let’s be honest, even if European engineers are better, we lack the raw numbers of engineers and techniciens. The importance given to softwares engineering is totally crazy, compared to the one needed to make all we really need. Like long range missiles… US is worst and I just don’t understand how such a poor allocation of resources let that happen. Greas?
Post ukraine war and the complete failure of all of russian high end tech, it’s hard to wonder how much these are just for show, especially as a lot of Chinese tech is based off russian/soviet designs.
This thing is a demonstrator for something much larger
“unlikely 6th gen”, nobody knows what “6th gen” is.
I remember when “5th gen” included super-cruise.
Experts are fantastic.
And super manœuvrability..
Can the plane perform the mission it is meant for, or not. Why don’t we go back to what matters?
I’m going to guess an advanced long range UCAV.
They flew a protype airframe. So what?
They have yet to build / steal the tech to make an advanced turbo jet, let alone a 6 th hen combined cycle.
Avionics. Sensors comms ., I would not get excited yet .
Am I the only person who thinks it is very suspicious that the normally extremely secretive Chinese military have a prototype in full view, flying low and slow enough for bystanders with basic camera equipment can get a good look at it?
It is obviously a set up
You could see this aircraft performing deep penetration over the pacific targeting tankers an AWACS. Hopefully the US gets E7 into the fleet quickly because I can’t see the radar on E3 being very effective.
Such a regional strike aircraft is probably a much bigger deal for China than a strategic bomber would be.
The US already flew an NGAD prototype several years ago so it’s not like China is ahead and we are suppose to be flying one in 2027 but they have certainly caught up in many regards, this is a significant improvement over J20 for sure.
Hopefully this focuses the incoming administration mind to stop pissing off its Allie’s in pointless trade wars and online trolling. Its interesting trump has attacked the EU Denmark Canada Mexico and Panama but made no comments on China Russia or Iran.
Doesn’t bode well for the future of the US lead western coalition.
Likely a X-plane:
Unless we see a few more turn up in the next 2-3 years, which would indicate a prototype, this is more likley just an experimental plane (like the US X-plane programs that are often a single plane or two with the bare minimum of systems). They are likely trying to study how potential 6 gen air shapes would work. As noted, it resembles a lot of 6th gen aircraft designs that have floated in various public media for the past 15 years which may not actually be anything like what a real 6th gen will look like. Just remember what alll the designs in public media of what a stealth jet would looked like in the 1980’s before the US finally showed the already in service F117 to the public. They were all completely wrong. And in fact the Y-22 (to become the F-22) and Y-23 didn’t look like any of them either.
We know the US is very keep on a tailless design because it can reduce resonance and make it harder for low frequency radar to detect an aircraft. This aircraft looks very similar to everything we have heard about NGAD. The UK seems to value high manuverability over low frequency stealth which is why Tempest appears to use a diamond tail configuration similar to the YF23. (A but like that riffled gun on the challenger that everyone said was useless and is currently smashing up bunkers all over Ukraine)
Personally for a main front line fighter I think the UK is correct. Stealth will always be countered over time by new sensors and if a stealth platform can be dettected and is not manuverable then it will be headed for the scrap heap much like the F117.
I’m sure the marketing department at Lockheed will have a different story to tell however, if they ever get funding for NGAD. Given Elons views on the F35 I’m not sure of the current administration will be prepared to sink a few hundred billion into an F22 style boondoggle but who knows, maybe he will cancel the USAF Sentinal program instead.
“ A but like that riffled gun on the challenger that everyone said was useless and is currently smashing up bunkers all over Ukraine”
Yes, dubbed the sniping tank.
Not such a bad moniker to have given they have tested it against all the others!
Even if Elon gets his way F35 will be kept alive by LM and the export partners.
If LM don’t support F35 then they can kiss goodbye to ever selling anything to anyone ever again.
That said if you have ever driven his cars they are glorified hobby quality products. They haven’t mastered the basics of car making before hoofing off after a lot of very good ideas. The Tesla X I had, from new, was a disaster. The Y I have now is much better but it still has strange things….
Unless you use Piff-Paff for manoeuvre blown edge is quite limited and doesn’t really work well over Mach 1 as the control forces are not enough for the negative stability that is required for a high Mach high G plane.