The AVIC Dark Sword (Chinese: 暗剑; pinyin: Àn Jiàn)[1] is a stealthy supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle from the People's Republic of China. It is being developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute for the air superiority or deep strike roles.[2] Use as an autonomous wingman for manned aircraft may also be a goal.[3]
| Dark Sword | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle |
| National origin | People's Republic of China |
| Designer | Aviation Industry Corporation of China Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute |
| Status | In development |
| Produced | 2006 |
Development
editA conceptual model appeared at the 2006 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition[2] Early concepts featured a conical planform, static foreplane canards, a wide tail section with canted vertical stabilizers, swept wings, and a single-engine with forward-swept chin-mounted intake. A sub-scale demonstrator may have flown by mid-2018.[3]
An image of a full-scale mock-up or demonstrator emerged in mid-2018. It was at least 12 meters long and shared low-observability features with contemporary Chinese aircraft including a diverterless supersonic inlet.[2][3]
The drone could potentially be paired with Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, specifically the twin-seat J-20S for aircraft teaming. Various "loyal wingman" prototypes, including the Dark Sword, were developed in China.[4][5]
Specification
editData from https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2018-06-12/china-reveals-supersonic-ucav
https://www.asianmilitaryreview.com/2019/06/chinas-next-generation-unmanned-assassins/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-soon-will-chinas-dark-sword-stealth-drone-be-airworthy
General characteristics
- Crew: 0
- Capacity: 0
- Length: 15 m (49 ft 3 in)
- Width: 14 m (45 ft 11 in)
- Gross weight: 13,000 kg (28,660 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 15,000 kg (33,069 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Guizhou WS-13 Turbofan
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,234 km/h (767 mph, 666 kn)
- Maximum speed: Mach 1
- Combat range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
Armament
Bombs/missiles
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Baykar Bayraktar Kızılelma
- Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat
- Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie
- Northrop Grumman X-47B
- Dassault nEUROn
- Sukhoi Okhotnik
Related lists
References
edit- ^ ""暗剑"再次出鞘:"暗剑二"无人机惊艳全场". military.china.com (in Chinese). 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
- ^ a b c Wong, Kelvin (7 June 2018). "Image emerges of China's stealthy Dark Sword UCAV". Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Rogoway, Tyler (5 June 2018). "Image Of China's Stealthy 'Dark Sword' Fighter-Like Combat Drone Emerges". The Drive.
- ^ Huang, Kristin (20 November 2021). "China's military looks to J-20 jet-drone match-up for combat edge". South China Morning Post.
- ^ A. Tirpak, John (28 October 2021). "China's New Two-Seat J-20: Trainer or Manned-Unmanned Teaming Platform?". Air Force Magazine.