Unverified images circulating on Chinese social media appear to show a new tailless stealth combat aircraft in flight, potentially signaling another addition to China’s expanding lineup of advanced military designs.
The date and location of the supposed flights remain unknown, and authorities have not released any official information.
Some observers speculate the aircraft could be a prototype of China’s third tailless sixth-generation fighter jet, potentially developed to compete with Shenyang’s J-XDS, informally known as the J-50, and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s J-36.
It appears China has flown a 3rd type of 6th gen tailless fighter design.
It isn’t clear if this is manned or unmanned.
Man or unmanned, it is clearly a supersonic, ultra-stealthy air combat aircraft.
The US must be in panic mode, or they may have accepted the reality of… pic.twitter.com/uqAASaGDcW
— Zhao DaShuai 东北进修🇨🇳 (@zhao_dashuai) August 4, 2025
Meanwhile, some observers speculate that the new aircraft could be one of several Chinese counterparts to the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft “Loyal Wingman” program, a defense initiative aimed at developing autonomous or semi-autonomous uncrewed aircraft designed to operate alongside manned fighter jets.
🇨🇳For the first time, one of China’s tailless CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) UAV/UCAVs has been spotted. pic.twitter.com/R96eiM0MNX
— International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) July 20, 2025
Based on circulating images, analysts from The War Zone said the aircraft features a sharply pointed forward fuselage and nose section that blend smoothly into mid-mounted, highly swept wings with cropped tips. The trailing edge includes a prominent triangular extension, forming a distinctive ‘W’-shaped outline.
“Overall, the design appears to be heavily optimized for low observability, in line with the two crewed combat jets that China debuted at the end of last year,” TWZ said. “In various respects, it shares some striking similarities with the so-called J-36.”
Analysts from The Aviationist notes China’s rapid pace in developing next-generation air combat capabilities.
“What these photos suggest is that Beijing is running a parallel, high-tempo program with multiple airframes in the air, compressing the learning loop. Whether the end product is a manned sixth-gen fighter, a family of unmanned loyal wingmen similar to the American CCA concept or both, the message is the same: China is running fast,” says the news outlet.
