What looks to be a previously unseen low-observable flying-wing drone variant with a ‘cranked kite’ planform has emerged in a satellite image from China’s secretive test base near Malan in the country’s far western Xinjiang province. The design has a strong resemblance to a known Chinese uncrewed high-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft called the CH-7, and is most likely an evolution thereof, or at least it shares a very similar planform.
TWZ obtained the image from Planet Labs. It was taken on August 14, but it only recently appeared in the company’s online archive database. Malan is a hub for leading-edge military aviation developments, and work on advanced uncrewed aircraft in particular, in China. Another new and especially large, low-observable, high-altitude long-endurance flying-wing also emerged in a Planet Labs image of Malan taken back in May, which we were first to report on. That design may have now flown if it didn’t prior to the satellite image.
The very dark-colored drone seen in the August image, which is positioned at the end of a runway, has a wingspan of around 137 feet. It also looks to have a single air intake at the front of its center body section and a matching exhaust at the rear.
There are some unusual shadows cast around the outer edges of the drone’s wings, which might point to vehicles or other equipment on the tarmac underneath. Vehicles and/or other equipment are clearly seen nearby on the runway. It is also worth noting that the image was taken in broad daylight, and there are no indications of any efforts to conceal the drone from prying eyes, despite the knowledge when specific imaging satellites, including those far more powerful than what Planet Labs has access to, regularly pass overhead. Malan notably features a massive high-security hangar to help with operational security.
As mentioned, what is visible of the design in the image taken in August bears clear similarities to a drone that officially broke cover in China in November 2024. That uncrewed aircraft was said to be the first real example of a design called the CH-7 (or Caihong-7, meaning Rainbow-7), and notably differed in shape and size from models and mock-ups that had previously been shown publicly. Available top-down imagery may point to them being very close in size based on their width relative to the runways they are on. However, it is unknown whether the runways have similar widths.
The uncrewed aircraft seen at Malan in the image from last month itself has a wider and longer forward nose section and other differences in its overall shape compared to the CH-7 design seen last year. Smaller differences in wing and trailing edge sweep and wing chord, as well as wingtip geometry, also appear to be present with this new drone.
It is still very possible, if not probable, that this is a further evolution of the CH-7, which has looked most suited for the intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) role, but has also been described as a potential uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) capable of performing strike missions. Size-wise, the uncrewed has emerged in the satellite image of Malan from last month looks to be in between a large UCAV-like drone and the much larger design that we previously reported on.
Other drone designs with ‘cranked kite’ planforms have also emerged in China in the past, including one spotted years ago in Chengdu, where one of the country’s major military aviation companies is based. However, none of them seem to directly align with what is visible in the August image of Malan.
It’s interesting to point out here that uncrewed aircraft seen in the recently released imagery of Malan bears some resemblance, in broad strokes, to certain unofficial renderings of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive so-called high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) RQ-180, something we also previously noted in relation to the CH-7. TWZ has explored in detail what the RQ-180 might look like, as well as its likely capabilities, which are in line with what we’ve now seen at Malan, in a past feature you can find here. The status of the program is unclear at this time.
Designs with cranked kite planforms have been eyed for other crewed and uncrewed U.S. military aircraft programs over the years, as well. The most well-known of these is the abortive X-47B UCAV developed by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy. There were also relevant B-3 bomber concepts that preceded the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program that produced the B-21 Raider.
What is well established at this point is China’s very active pursuit of multiple tiers of flying-wing type drones intended to perform various missions. Years ago, TWZ assessed that this was an area of the Chinese aviation industry that was likely to see an explosion of investment, and in which the academic side of the country’s weapon development ecosystem would be deeply involved.
Just this week, another new twin jet engine-powered flying wing drone tied to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) emerged ahead of the opening of an airshow in the northeastern part of the country, as you can read more about here. Though that uncrewed aircraft still remains unidentified, some similarities have now been drawn between it and a design concept called Star Shadow that a Chinese company called Star Systems first showed in model form at the Singapore Air Show in 2018. Most notably, both designs look to have a split air brake at the rear of the center body section between their engine exhausts.
Unless it is some type of decoy meant for counter-intelligence purposes, which is always a possibility, although a remote one, the uncrewed aircraft seen in the August satellite image of Malan is yet another entry into China’s vastly expanding stable of stealth flying wing drones.
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