Chinese UCAV/CCA/flying wing drones (ISR, A2A, A2G)
- Thread starter VESSEL
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I think DC area pizza parlors need to give PLAAF one year worth of free all you can eat pizzas as a token of gratitude.
The photo can be concluded to be the GJ-xx rather than J-XD/J-50. Was clear as day that it wasn't the J-XD/J-50 but there's always so much doubt and academic scrutiny on this forum which establishes this forums' reputation I suppose.
An unmanned H-20 makes sense.
PLAAF has at least two heavy, tailless, supersonic UADFs to support manned fighters. These UADFs are F-16 sized but without any human support equipment so we can think of them as J-35 lites really. Type A and B UADFs probably pack nearly the same payload, operational range and thrust to weight as J-35.
We can pretty safely assume H-20 is going to be larger than the GJ-xx. Unlikely to be used for strategic missions aka nuclear delivery since unmanned has the additional uncertainty and risk of disruption where manned aircraft either do not or complicate those efforts further.
Interesting they went with a CH-7 style configuration rather than a larger GJ-11/ pure flying wing. My understanding is a pure flying wing is stealthier but the CH-7 style diamond fuselage with lower sweep angle wings allows for longer range, endurance and better turning performance at the cost of stealth and speed. This fuselage does give it more weapons bay volume though. Even just comparing with the gigantic WZ-xx pure flying wing ISR, it's clear this machine provides room for lengthier weapons. Making a flying wing out of this shape would require the aircraft to be quite a lot larger.
An unmanned H-20 makes sense.
PLAAF has at least two heavy, tailless, supersonic UADFs to support manned fighters. These UADFs are F-16 sized but without any human support equipment so we can think of them as J-35 lites really. Type A and B UADFs probably pack nearly the same payload, operational range and thrust to weight as J-35.
We can pretty safely assume H-20 is going to be larger than the GJ-xx. Unlikely to be used for strategic missions aka nuclear delivery since unmanned has the additional uncertainty and risk of disruption where manned aircraft either do not or complicate those efforts further.
Interesting they went with a CH-7 style configuration rather than a larger GJ-11/ pure flying wing. My understanding is a pure flying wing is stealthier but the CH-7 style diamond fuselage with lower sweep angle wings allows for longer range, endurance and better turning performance at the cost of stealth and speed. This fuselage does give it more weapons bay volume though. Even just comparing with the gigantic WZ-xx pure flying wing ISR, it's clear this machine provides room for lengthier weapons. Making a flying wing out of this shape would require the aircraft to be quite a lot larger.
The engines do look to be well separated from one another?
But even if both engines are lined alongside each other on the centerline, the obvious bulge of the main airframe body should mean sufficient internal volume at the underside of the aircraft to house IWB(s), i.e. right underneath the DSI paths of both engines.
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I don’t think it is unmanned H-20 but rather bomber equivalent to CCA that could follow H-20 on long range strategic missions. There are two variants of drone — one to provide ISR and the other to carry additional munition. H-20 will be the control node for the two drones.
Glad to see others think along the same lines as i did argue back when GJ-X was unveiled. The big event we're waiting now is the first flight of H-20, hopefully the rumours of imminent-ish roll out/first flight are true.
And parallel to this, just to think out loud that China has no less than 8 (eight!) different high capability UAVs in testing and/or service at the moment, two large, two UADFs, GJ-11 and 3 CCAs.
Maybe you're right.
I think PLA and Chinese MIC proliferation of expertise, capability and capacity is just making rest of world combined sort of outputs but with actually superior technology now.
I mean PL-15 had AESA radars (literally the first and only A2A missile with AESA radars) since mid to late 2010s. Even this forum underestimates China's military and technological status. It is underestimated by everyone including Chinese military and political leadership.
The US is in the process of finalising one type of modern bomber - B21. It is in the process of building two 6th gen fighter prototypes and has no shooter UAV yet. China has had GJ-11 for some time and recently put them into Tibet, the least well equipped theatre. US has RQ-170 and 180 as high end ISR drones, China has CH-7, WZ-7, WZ-8, WZ-9 and WZ-xx, all of these filling different roles with unique capabilities far beyond the pair of RQ-170 and 180.
The US is getting outclassed in the field it is traditionally most capable in, military aviation. We're not even talking about hypersonic aircraft and their engines which China is absolutely mogging the US in right now. The US has private scam companies hyping up nonsense to investors for a quick buck with toy models and neat powerpoints but China has been actively flying those things since the turn of the decade.
The GJ-xx looks absolutely alien.
Do it on December 26 again to ruin Pentagon top brass’ holiday again.