While the world celebrated unboxing yesterday, two images of mysterious aircraft emerged in China. Both aircraft are believed to be prototypes of the sixth generation fighter jet that China is developing to give it an advantage on future battlefields.
The first aircraft was seen flying next to the Chengdu J-20 fighter jet that has been in service since 2017. The size of both aircraft is almost the same, but the prototype aircraft has a tailless design. It uses a flat design that indicates it is also a difficult aircraft to detect by radar.
More unique and interesting is that this aircraft is equipped with three jet engines with an air hole for the engine visible on the dorsal side. The landing gear configuration with double tires can also be seen. This is a sign that this aircraft is heavy to carry more weapons in the belly. It is also likely that it is a medium-range fighter-bomber in the same class as the Su-34.
The second aircraft only appears in blurry images, making it difficult to analyze whether it is piloted or a drone. All that is known is that it was developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) which builds the J-35 fighter jet. Like the first prototype, this second aircraft also has no tail section. The wings are lambda-shaped, which is again different from the delta wings of the first aircraft.
Both aircraft were flown openly in conjunction with Mao Zedong's birthday yesterday, with China often using this date to show off some of its military programs in the past. With two prototype aircraft successfully flown, it places China as the country with the most advanced gen-6 fighter aircraft program to date.
The United States' Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program has so far only flown one aircraft in secret in 2020. Only two concept designs by Lockheed Martin and Northrop have been shown. Meanwhile, the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) project design between the UK, Japan and Italy was just shown last July.