Is China poised to lead the world with combat-ready ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 stealth drone?
Leaked photos from Victory Day parade drills suggest CCA drone has entered active service. An official debut would mark a world first
The FH-97, a single-engine, ground-attack uncrewed aircraft, has been described as potentially China’s first combat-ready stealth drone, capable of coordinated aerial warfare alongside crewed jets.
Photos leaked online over the weekend appeared to show an FH-97 takng part in the rehearsals for the massive military parade on September 3, which will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
The official debut of the model would make China the first country to have such a drone – dubbed a “loyal wingman” in crewed-uncrewed team-up warfare – ready for combat.
The parade’s second full rehearsal was held from Saturday evening into Sunday morning near Tiananmen Square, involving around 40,000 personnel.
Although the aircraft was covered and mounted on a military truck, enough design features were revealed to suggest it was the FH-97, or Feihong-97, developed by a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (AVIC).