China is developing a Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat clone to work with the J-20 Mighty Dragon fifth-generation fighter

The US Air Force wants a fleet of 1,000 joint-use combat drones. The Chinese army is also working in this direction.

Here's What We Know

China wants an unmanned aerial vehicle to share the J-20 Mighty Dragon fifth-generation fighter jet. The contender is the FH-97A drone, whose prototype was shown in late fall 2022.

The developer of the drone is Feihong, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The FH-97A is a replica of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, which is being built by Boeing for the Royal Australian Air Force. By the way, the J-20 is in many ways a copy of the US fifth generation fighter F-22 Raptor.

The use of the FH-97A will relieve the J-20 pilot from certain combat missions. The use of the drone will improve the survivability of pilots during combat. In October, Chinese television showed a simulation of the fighter working together with the GJ-11 UCAV stealth drones.

The FH-97A has a similar fuselage design to the J-20 Mighty Dragon. An Ordnance Industry Science Technology report published by a Chinese military magazine late last year suggests that the drone will be as fast as the aircraft. The J-20 is capable of speeds of Mach 2 (2,469.6km/h)

The FH-97A is expected to be able to destroy enemy aircraft and drones. The cameras will allow it to detect and track multiple targets from different angles while remaining immune to radio frequency interference.

Source: scmp