More imagery of Chinese ‘loyal wingman’ type drones, or at least mockups thereof, that are set to make their official debut at a major upcoming military parade has emerged. The uncrewed aircraft are just one part of a massive reveal of new capabilities around this event, some possibly aspirational, but some very real.
At least five different loyal wingmen drones, also now commonly referred to as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by the USAF, had already been expected to be shown at the upcoming parade in Beijing, based on satellite imagery of the preparations that TWZ previously reported on. It is possible that some of the designs are higher-performance uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV) with enhanced degrees of autonomy, but that could still have collaborative capabilities. The GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealthy flying-wing drone, a centerpiece of Chinese UCAV developments to date, and lower-tier medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) types will also be part of the parade.
We can now see that one of the designs that will be shown at the parade, seen below, has a clear resemblance to the FH-97, which is at least heavily inspired by the XQ-58A Valkyrie from U.S. drone maker Kratos. However, the others do not readily align with known Chinese types.
A drone with a design similar to the FH-97 seen in a picture of the ongoing parade preparations that emerged on Saturday. Chinese Internet
Yesterday, a new image emerged offering a better look at one of the designs, which has a traditional wing and tail arrangement, as well as a top-mounted air intake. Another picture of this drone also began circulating online earlier today. As noted, it has distinct similarities to the FH-97, which was first shown publicly at China’s Zhuhai Airshow in 2021. The angular shaping of the vertical stabilizers, in particular, very much aligns with the FH-97, as well as the XQ-58.
The FH-97-esque drone seen on a truck on the street in another picture that appeared online today. Chinese Internet
A model of the FH-97 on display at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2021. Chinese Internet
A comparative look at the tail of the FH-97-esque drone seen as part of the parade preparations (at left), the tail of the FH-97 as shown in a past render (at center), and the tail of the XQ-58 (at right). Chinese Internet/USAF
Comparisons have also been drawn to General Atomics YFQ-42A, which is now under development for the U.S. Air Force’s CCA program, but that design has vertical stabilizers with a different trapezoidal shape.
A rendering of the YFQ-42A. General Atomics
It is worth noting here that the company behind the FH-97, Aerospace Times Feihong Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of the state-run China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), also presented a very different design dubbed the FH-97A in 2022. Unlike the FH-97, the FH-97A is a dead ringer for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat developed by Boeing’s division in Australia. What we are seeing now might be a further addition to the FH-97 line.
Today, additional images emerged showing two of the other new drone designs, which are tailless with modified delta wings. One of the designs has a very slender nose in front of a significantly wider body, while the other (also seen in an image at the top of this story) has a broader nose and center section. Both of them are still under wraps, with details that could point to their engine layouts and other features obscured. Based on their sizes compared to the trucks carrying them, the two drones are significantly larger than the FH-97-esque design. The larger size of the drones also points to higher performance.
The tailless drone design with the slender nose. Chinese Internet
The drone design with the broader overall profile. Chinese Internet
Chinese Internet
It’s also worth noting that the drone with the broader design is highly similar, if not the same as an airframe or mockup thereof spotted in satellite imagery of the Chinese plane maker Shenyang’s main plant earlier this year, which TWZ was first to report on. However, it is not entirely clear from what we can see now if the wings on the two designs are exactly the same.
Two other drone designs seen in the previous satellite imagery of the parade preparations, which also appear to be tailless with modified diamond-like delta and cranked-kite wings, have yet to come into clearer view.
Drones set to be shown at the parade on September 3 seen in a satellite image from Google Earth taken in June. Google Earth
China has also secured a broader position as a global leader in advanced uncrewed aviation developments. What appears to be a very large, low-observable, flying-wing, high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft also emerged earlier this year, as TWZ was first to report.
Beyond CCA/UCAV-type drones, the upcoming parade, which will take place on September 3, will mark the 80th anniversary of the country’s victory over Japan in World War II, is going to feature a variety of what Chinese authorities have referred to as “new-type combat capabilities.”
On the uncrewed aviation front, what looks to be a new vertical takeoff and landing-capable drone will be on display. From what can be seen of the design so far, it may have a twin intermeshing rotor design. This is a rare configuration for helicopters, crewed or uncrewed. The Kaman Corporation in the United States is best known for producing designs with this configuration, including a pair of CQ-24 drone versions of the company’s K-MAX helicopter, which the U.S. Marine Corps operated for a time in Afghanistan.
And another intersting find by bsdnf/SDF:
„Intermeshing-rotor UAV like Kaman K-MAX/CQ-24A? Very compact & foldable rotor design, which means it can be carried on ship. The large fuselage may be used for transport missions like the K-MAX, but closer to Z-20 and more reasonable.“ https://t.co/RUKU2ECRtkpic.twitter.com/tBoWY4vv0B
Imagery of the ongoing preparations shows that a number of new missile designs are also set to make their public debut. This includes the YJ-17, which has a shape in line with past ‘waverider’ type hypersonic missiles, as well as the YJ-19, with a style of air intake often seen on designs with scramjet engines. Another design, labeled YJ-20, has a long conical-like shape that is very much in line with a mysterious missile seen being fired from what was said to be a Type 055 destroyer in a video that appeared online in 2022.
Various new missiles (ship UVLS launch?) confirmed, my 2c on roles: – YJ-15, ramjet compact supersonic? – YJ-17, waverider hypersonic glide? – YJ-19, ?maybe scramjet hypersonic? – YJ-20, biconical hypersonic/aeroballistic? Possibly seen before from 055..
The PLAN will publicly display 3 types of hypersonic anti-ship missiles in its inventory for this years VJ Day Parade.
->Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM) ->Hypersonic Glide Vehicle with a delta-winged body similar to the DF-17 ->Hypersonic Glide Vehicle with a bi-conic design… pic.twitter.com/bLbw3Hfkwr
What may be a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), or another type of very large weapon with a ballistic-missile like capability, as well as other new ground-launched missiles, also look set to be unveiled at the parade.
Lack of launch stations on the right hand side of the cab and the short stature of the canister makes me suspect this is a loading vehicle but we'd need to see if it has a launch table or not before coming to any firm conclusions pic.twitter.com/WWuuPEqMS5
The PLA Rocket Force's (PLARF) commitment to a new seemingly subsonic ground-launched land-attack cruise missile is a notable development given the strikingly modest scale at which the CJ-10 and CJ-10A cruise missiles are understood to have been deployed.
Previously unseen very large uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) with torpedo-like shapes, as well as uncrewed surface vessels (USV), will also be showcased at the parade.
Images now circulating online also confirm that a number of new crewed tracked and wheeled armored vehicles will also feature prominently in the parade. There had been speculation that at least one new armored vehicle design would break cover at the event after a video showing mysteriously unidentified vehicles concealed underneath large, box-like structures began circulating on social media in July. Some of the armored vehicle crew members seen taking part in the parade preparations are wearing headsets of a kind often associated with augmented reality vision systems. Uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) will also be on display at the parade.
It is, of course, important to stress that it is not immediately clear how many of the drones and other ‘new’ systems that will take part in the parade are actually operationally or even close to being put into service. Mockups have been shown at many major Chinese military parades in the past. At the same time, in many cases, those designs have turned into very real capabilities, with the GJ-11 being one of the best-known examples. A stealthier iteration of the GJ-11 design was one of the big reveals at a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist state in China in 2019.
Altogether, Beijing looks set to make full use of the upcoming parade on September 3 to send signals globally through the official debut of a host of new CCA/UCAV-type drones and many other advanced capabilities, big and small.
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