Smooth test flight proves ‘new concept’ human-drone design for China’s next-gen fighter
- A new aircraft combining a stealth fighter with two drones that can break away in a flash is the latest weapon in China’s arsenal
Immediately after the drones’ separation, however, the fighter experiences a tremor, a consequence of the abrupt wing area reduction and gravity centre shift that significantly alters its aerodynamic profile.
The successful test flight proves a “new concept” for the Chinese Air Force’s next generation fighter jet, according to Du Xin, a senior engineer with the Aerospace Technology Institute of the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre (CARDC), which has been sanctioned by the US.
“It represents an advanced mode of manned/unmanned collaborative combat, where multiple aircraft with different functions are integrated for coordinated flight,” Du and his colleagues wrote in a peer-reviewed paper published on May 29 in the Chinese academic journal Advances in Aeronautical Science and Engineering.