Satellite image reveals China's uncrewed CAV with 137-feet wing span

China is strategically investing and expanding its fleet of stealth drone programs, capable of long-range reconnaissance and attack missions, a recent satellite imagery suggests. In mid-August, US Earth imaging company Planet Labs spotted a large, never-seen-before flying drone parked at the Malan test base in Xinjiang, China.

The satellite image shows the drone positioned at the end of the runway, featuring a “cranked kite” planform and jet-powered with a wingspan of around 137 feet, with a single air intake from the fuselage section and a matching exhaust at the rear, according to TheWarZone, a US-based defence news site reported.

The drone draws similarity with the Caihong-7 (CH-7, meaning Rainbow-7), a high-altitude unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) spanning 10 meters with a maximum take-off weight of 10,000 kilograms and a maximum speed of 926 km/h and endurance of up to 15 hours.

The UCAV is a clone of the US-made Northrop Grumman X-47B UCAV and was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China’s state-owned manufacturer of spacecrafts and launch vehicles.

Although the new plane is based on the CH-7’s flying wing configuration, experts point out improvements like a longer and wider forward fuselage, modified wingtip and some changes in trailing edge sweep, as reported by TheWarZone.

These improvements will expand its mission beyond surveillance and reconnaissance to include full-fledged combat capabilities for strike missions.

The Malan test facility in Xinjiang’s Lop Nur region has long been a hub of China’s experimental aviation projects and the latest sighting only reinforces that status. In May, satellite imagery revealed another large flying wing drone at the same site, suggesting that multiple platforms may be under development simultaneously.

This development highlights China’s multi-tiered approach in drone development from reconnaissance platforms to deep-strike Ucavs. This marks China’s unmanned systems ecosystem with the potential to significantly alter the regional and global balance of air power.