Leaked satellite pics reveal mystery Chinese ‘jet fighter’ without a tail on runway at airfield
LEAKED satellite snaps from a Chinese airfield appear to show a mystery tailless jet fighter on the runway.
Images from above show the fighter-like airframe parked up at the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation - one of two leading fighter manufacturers in China.
The aerospace company produces two fighter jet designs used by the People's Liberation Army - the J-10 and J-20.
New satellite images - obtained by The War Zone and dated October 29 - show five J-20s on the ramps, as well as 18 J-10s, a couple of drones and one stand-alone airframe, reports The Drive.
According to the outlet, the fighter-style jet first seems to have appeared at the airfield earlier this year and is similar to the US X-44 Manta and new Next Generation Air Dominance designs from the United States Air Force.
It's unclear what the aircraft is, but it appears to be a large modified diamond-like shape with a thin nose section - with a similar size wingspan to the J-20.
The airframe also appears to be without a tail - a design that reduces the weight of the structure meaning it has better efficiency for high-speed dashes.
It also better optimizes an aircraft for reduced radar signature from the side and rear perspectives - but the ability to maneuver is reduced and achieving stability is more difficult.Back in the 1990s and 2000s, it's believed tailless tactical fighter-like designs were flight tested in secret.
It comes after China's new top-secret stealth fighter jet has reportedly been spotted cruising through the air for the first time.
Pictures show the blue-green aircraft in flight as it is expected to play a vital role in the People Liberation Army Navy's carrier force development.
It is thought to be the first time the prototype - a carrier version of China's Shenyang FC-31 stealth fighter - has ever been flown.
The jet - the first stealthy carrier-capable fighter to be developed outside the US - has twin canted tailfins, twin engines, a high-mounted cockpit, as well as a catapult launch bar and a wing-fold mechanism.
It has the same basic configuration as the land-based FC-31, which was first flown in prototype form in 2012, reports The Drive.
This carrier version of the jet is thought to be derived from the baseline design of the second variation, which featured aerodynamic refinements, including smaller and vertical tails.
It's unknown what the designation of the new carrier fighter is, but according to the outlet, there's speculation it could be J-21 or J-35.
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