China Stuns With Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet’s Sudden Appearance
In something of a stunning development, China appears to already be flying a stealthy, high-performance sixth-generation crewed combat aircraft, imagery of which began to emerge today. At this early stage, we have very little idea about the precise identity of the new aircraft, but many elements of its design are very much in line with what we already knew about Chinese sixth-generation airpower aspirations.
Video and photos that began to circulate today on social media show the previously unseen aircraft conducting a daytime test flight, alongside a two-seat Chengdu J-20S fighter, serving as a chase plane. The locations and the dates of the various imagery cannot be verified at this stage, although the presence of the J-20 suggests that the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) factory airfield is a likely candidate.
Aside from the sheer size of the new aircraft, which we will address in a moment, the most striking thing about it is its planform and tailless configuration. It has a modified delta wing with chine lines extending all the way to the nose area, while its central fuselage section, at least the bottom of it, is loosely reminiscent of the J-20. The broad nose could even provide space for side-by-side crew seating, although the limited views of the canopy mean we cannot be sure whether the aircraft has a single-seat or two-seat arrangement, with tandem twin seats being another option.
