Chinese UAV/UCAV development

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plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
Viktor Jav said:
With all this drones flying about, it is rather disappointing that the Sharp Sword (is that what it is called ?) stealth drone has fallen off the radar. Yeah unintentional bad pun right there folks, thank you thank you I will be here all day . :p
But I wonder what is the progress on it though.
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That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Often things disappear from public when they are picked up by the PLA and given official status.

Equipment selected by the PLA also tend to be automatically put on the export ban list, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get a version of kit the PLAAF is using approved for export again.
 
Blitzo

Blitzo

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Viktor Jav said:
With all this drones flying about, it is rather disappointing that the Sharp Sword (is that what it is called ?) stealth drone has fallen off the radar. Yeah unintentional bad pun right there folks, thank you thank you I will be here all day . :p
But I wonder what is the progress on it though.
Click to expand...

A lack of up to date news and pictures means little to nothing.

For example, since J-20 began production about a year and a half ago we mysteriously began to lose consistent up to date photos of Chengdu's factory/airport and an inability to properly count the number of J-20s they've been able to produce.

As new aircraft of all new kinds go to yanliang for advanced stages of testing we also do not get photos or updates of their progress. It doesn't mean those new aircraft are twiddling their thumbs and laying down to rot.
 
Deino

Deino

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Bltizo said:
A lack of up to date news and pictures means little to nothing.

For example, since J-20 began production about a year and a half ago we mysteriously began to lose consistent up to date photos of Chengdu's factory/airport and an inability to properly count the number of J-20s they've been able to produce.

As new aircraft of all new kinds go to yanliang for advanced stages of testing we also do not get photos or updates of their progress. It doesn't mean those new aircraft are twiddling their thumbs and laying down to rot.
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Agreed ... just look at how we completely lost track of any J-10C production (the final J-10C spotted with cn. confirmed was in January 2017!!) and even more how much op-sec PLAAF and NA is able to do with the Soaring Dragon UAV. We know overall only a handfull of grainy images, none showing that bird but we know it is in production since 2015/16 and at least operational within two units.

Deino
 
D

Deleted member 13312

Guest
plawolf said:
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Often things disappear from public when they are picked up by the PLA and given official status.

Equipment selected by the PLA also tend to be automatically put on the export ban list, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get a version of kit the PLAAF is using approved for export again.
Click to expand...
Bltizo said:
A lack of up to date news and pictures means little to nothing.

For example, since J-20 began production about a year and a half ago we mysteriously began to lose consistent up to date photos of Chengdu's factory/airport and an inability to properly count the number of J-20s they've been able to produce.

As new aircraft of all new kinds go to yanliang for advanced stages of testing we also do not get photos or updates of their progress. It doesn't mean those new aircraft are twiddling their thumbs and laying down to rot.
Click to expand...
Not denying the premises of these arguments, but you have to admit that it is frustrating to not be able to track the progress of these projects as they go.
 
SinoSoldier

SinoSoldier

Colonel
Viktor Jav said:
With all this drones flying about, it is rather disappointing that the Sharp Sword (is that what it is called ?) stealth drone has fallen off the radar. Yeah unintentional bad pun right there folks, thank you thank you I will be here all day . :p
But I wonder what is the progress on it though.
Click to expand...

Sharp Sword is only the name for the technology demonstrator, which according to recent rumors have been evolved into a new attack drone program that may enter production very soon. The new drone is no longer named Sharp Sword anymore.
 
Deino

Deino

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Viktor Jav said:
Not denying the premises of these arguments, but you have to admit that it is frustrating to not be able to track the progress of these projects as they go.
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That's indeed undeniably frustrating ...
 
F

Franklin

Captain
Nevermind the status of projects we have lost track of the inventory. We don't know how many J-10's, J-16's, J-20's and other platforms there are out there. I wonder why China is so tight lipped about this.
 
T

taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
KlRc80 said:
Interesting that this picture shows it in clear view yet it seems impossible to estimate the height that it flies above the ground.

And precisely the height at which it flies at is important from the view of an adversary potentially detecting and having countermeasures against it.

Assuming that the length of it is known, could say the CIA with all the equipment at their disposal figure out the height it is flying at in this picture alone?
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地面效应无人机.jpg
;), no need for CIA work, it is open.

Mission: Attack large sea target, long range torpedo attack, sea area denial

MTOW: 3000kg
Max payload: 1000kg (enough for a torpedo)
Max cruising time: 1.5 hours
Max altitude: > 3km
cruising altitude: 1 to 6 meters

This is not a typical drone (aircraft), it is
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. Although its max flying altitude can reach over 3000 meters, its cruising altitude is very low.

I like the idea of torpedo. I also wish if it can be launched from a helipad on the destroyers.
 
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S

Skywatcher

Captain
plawolf said:
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Often things disappear from public when they are picked up by the PLA and given official status.

Equipment selected by the PLA also tend to be automatically put on the export ban list, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get a version of kit the PLAAF is using approved for export again.
Click to expand...

Isn't that CH-X drone showing up at Zhuhai this year supposed to be stealth?
 
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