Aircraft
Joined-Wing UAV Revealed in China
Photographs of a new Chinese UAV have been posted on Chinese websites.
Chengdu’s latest surprise is this joined-wing UAV, seen outside the company’s facility in late June.
Chengdu’s latest surprise is this joined-wing UAV, seen outside the company’s facility in late June.

Photographs of a new Chinese UAV have been posted on Chinese websites. They show a joined-wing design that was previously shown in model form at the Zhuhai airshow.

In what appears to be a staged leak from the 611 Aircraft Design Institute at Chengdu, similar to that which revealed the institute’s J-20 fighter to the world, the photos reveal a large UAV powered by a single rear-mounted turbofan, possibly a non-afterburning WS-13, exhausting through a near-triangular nozzle. The swept-back forward wing is joined by a vertical section to a forward-swept rear wing, which is set higher so as to be clear of its downwash.