China has unveiled two new supersonic unmanned fighter prototypes during the Victory Day military parade of 2025, which are identical in size and layout.
The two new unmanned fighters of considerable size were unveiled alongside two smaller UCAVs. Both adopting mostly common outlines and seemingly a common engine is something that needs to be inspected with a closer look to understand the purpose behind the approach.
First of all, the roughly inspected layout on both unmanned fighters suggests they are intended as loyal wingman platforms to keep up with fighters like J-20 and the new prototypes in both flight performance and low observability. The tailless configuration, by nature, has a far lower observability from the front and side aspects compared to tailed ones.
Upon a close look, it is seen that one is seen to use divertless supersonic intakes, classical trapezoidal wing geometry seen on fifth-generation fighters, and a wide fuselage incorporating an EOTS. A wider fuselage’s advantage is being able to carry larger munitions and more fuel. This, coupled with other features, hints at a strike-oriented platform that can carry heavy air-to-surface munitions like bombs or cruise missiles.
The other unmanned fighter adopts a pair of ramp intakes and cranked arrow delta wings. Differently from its ‘brother’, it has a narrower fuselage with what appears to be a radome to mount a radar. Thus, it is more likely to be an air-to-air oriented platform capable of engaging aircraft on its own thanks to onboard radar and air-to-air missiles.
Everything summed up, it can be said that China has developed two identical platforms likely to perform different functions to accompany its new fighters with coherence. At the same time, the roughly common configuration and components (Uncharacteristic of China’s military industry) might give an advantage in production and logistics.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
