Leaked Images Suggest China’s Advanced Stealth Drone Enters Active Service
Recent leaked photos from rehearsals for the upcoming Victory Day parade in Beijing suggest that the Chinese military is preparing to unveil a new advanced stealth attack drone. This development could mark a significant milestone, as it may be the first of its kind globally.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is expected to showcase the FH-97, a single-engine, ground-attack uncrewed aircraft, during the September 3rd parade. This event will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The FH-97 has been described as potentially China’s first combat-ready stealth drone, capable of operating alongside crewed jets in coordinated aerial warfare.
Online images shared over the weekend appear to show an FH-97 participating in the rehearsals for the massive military parade. Although the aircraft was covered and mounted on a military truck, enough design features were visible to confirm its identity as the FH-97, or Feihong-97, developed by a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (AVIC).
The angular shaping of its vertical stabilizers further aligns with the FH-97’s design. A scale model of the FH-97 was first unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show in 2021. The chief designer, Deng Shuai, stated that the drone acts as both a sensor and an ammunition depot, as well as an intelligent assistant for pilots. He added that it earned the “loyal wingman” moniker because it flies alongside crewed aircraft like an armed bodyguard.
Military website The War Zone reported that the newly sighted drone might be a newer variant of the FH-97 rather than the 2021 version. In 2022, an air-to-air variant called the FH-97A was unveiled by the AVIC arm.
If the FH-97 makes its official debut at the parade, China would become the first country to publicly announce the deployment of fully operational loyal wingman drones. While several nations have advanced to late-stage testing, none has yet confirmed their combat deployment.
Major General Wu Zeke, deputy head of the parade organizing committee, emphasized that all weapons and equipment displayed in the parade are domestically produced, active-duty main battle gear.
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) drones or loyal wingmen are designed to work alongside advanced stealth fighters. Their crewed-uncrewed teaming multiplies combat effectiveness while reducing pilot workload and risk to human life. The United States’ XQ-58A loyal wingman combat drone is expected to be combat ready by 2029.
Australia is also close to deploying loyal wingman drones, specifically Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat. Market reports indicate that eight Block 1 prototypes have already been delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force and have logged more than 100 flight hours as of this month.
Additional PLA rehearsal images emerging over the weekend also showed two previously unknown drone designs with tailless, modified delta wings. One featured a slender nose leading into a wider fuselage, while the other had a broader nose and central section. Both remained under covers, obscuring details such as engine placement. However, based on their truck-mounted scale, both designs appeared significantly larger than the FH-97-style drones, hinting at higher performance levels.
The War Zone concluded that “all of this reflects China’s clear pursuit of multiple CCA and/or [Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle] designs for land-based use, as well as operations from aircraft carriers and big-deck amphibious warfare ships.”
As the world watches closely, the potential deployment of the FH-97 represents a major step forward in the evolution of unmanned combat systems. It highlights China’s growing capabilities in developing advanced military technology, positioning itself as a key player in the global defense landscape.
