A mysterious flying-wing aircraft appeared in satellite photographs of a well-known Chinese RCS (Radar Cross Section) test site in Baoding, east China’s Hebei province, earlier this year. The aircraft, likely a UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) style under development, is similar in appearance to Northrop Grumman’s X-47B UCAV, with its cranked kite configuration.
The same installation was also used to test the stealth characteristics of the Hongdu GJ-11 sharp sword. GJ-11 observers will likely fly from Chinese aircraft carriers, as their mock-ups have been seen at large-scale carrier test facilities in unofficial photographs.
The last photographs of the unknown aircraft, whose life forms were first reported through Aviation Week, were taken via Airbus satellites, visible on Google Earth, on February 12, 2024. The domain depicted is the Hebei stealth aircraft test center, whose satellite imagery analyzed in intensity through Covert Shores in September 2021.
The plane is located at the east end of the runway, a hangar. Using photographic research tools, the aircraft’s total wingspan is approximately 55. 64 feet. It does not appear to have a cockpit for manned flights, suggesting it may simply be a drone or a UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle).
But so far the plane appears to be just a design for verification purposes. It is not yet known whether this style is for a planned drone or a full-scale aircraft. The plane also didn’t come from aerial satellites because it hit it under the rail. hangar. This design can be moved back and forth to protect classified check items from nosy aerial reconnaissance.
The design of the object is similar to that of Northrop Grumman’s X-47B, sharing the mixed wing airframe and angled kite wing configuration. While the X-47B has no tail, the unidentified Chinese aircraft appears to sport two small vertical stabilizers angled toward the rear. edge.
The engine air intakes, if any, are not visual, probably because they may have been overlooked from the test model. Perhaps they can also be incorporated only on the ventral side, or simply not be visual in the photo.
Speaking to The Aviationist, Chinese military aviation analyst Andreas Rupprecht said the “form” was “real” as it had been “seen at the PLA Air Force RCS control center. “This means that the symbol is not fake or counterfeit.
However, he believes that it is possibly not a genuine style of flight and “just a world-tested way, similar to many others and even stranger shapes”. Its true prestige in the PLA’s weapons advance plans is unknown.
– Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) February 8, 2019
On the platform, at the eastern end of the runway, you can see a base where test models are regularly installed for experiments. Right next to the platform (to the east) is the cell hangar, next to which the mystery plane is located, in the middle of another unidentified jumble. This is consistent with the site being a radar cross section (RCS) verification facility, as reported through Covert Shores.
To the west there are two more pedestals, one almost in the middle and one further away. “Since 2013, the site has been successively improved. The platform at the west end was expanded and in 2016 a giant hangar was built. It seems that there have been spikes in activity in 2016-17 and again in 2020-21,” Covert Shores said.
Typically, in this type of facility, engineers would install the parts and place radars around them to analyze their feedback. This involves validating the planned LO (low visibility) of the aircraft and radar absorbing materials and their vulnerability to electromagnetic emissions from the front, side and rear.
Likewise, an installation of this type also serves to check the operation of the radars themselves, that is, those that are stealthy. China claims that its YLC series of radars have this capability.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ Have Blue, which led directly to the progression of the F-117A Nighthawk, was captured in a prominent photograph, fixed on a test pedestal. The Have Blue had angled inward-facing tails and an aerodynamically volatile design, which was carried out in combination via a rugged FCS (Flight Control System).
Meanwhile, the GJ-11 Sharp Sword, developed through the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), is expected to be unveiled eventually. The drone is also perceived as a sign that the PLA Navy is aggressively striving to gain UCAV capability. capable of carrying a vehicle.
The GJ-11 was first officially unveiled at an army parade in October 2019 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It was also observed in unofficial photographs of a mock-up of the drone at a large-scale aircraft carrier control facility. in December of last year.
It is not a recent image, but Wuhan aircraft carrier mockups and control services have acquired new aircraft: obviously, visual mockups of the J-15, J-35, KJ-600 and a GJ-11H in the cockpit.
(Image @伏尔戈星图 from Weibo) pic. twitter. com/UL6uk81zh4
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) December 19, 2023
This facility, located in Wuhan, had dummies of the J-15, J-35/J-31/FC-31 Gyrfalcon and a KJ-600 in the cockpit. Another PLA expert, Rick Joe, called this “quasi-confirmation. “that a “flying-wing drone/UCAV is intended for carrier aviation,” adding that the GJ-11 is “probably already being tested. “Subsequently, in February 2024, a scale model was presented at the Singapore Airshow.
– International Defense Analysis (@Defence_IDA) February 19, 2024
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