Sword stealth unmanned attack aircraft is an engineering testing machine designed by AVIC Shen Fei Design and Research Institute and manufactured by AVIC Hongdu Company, which is a technical reserve for China to develop advanced unmanned attack aircraft in the future. It was started in 2009. After three years of trial production, it was finally put into production at an aircraft factory in Jiangxi Province on 201213, and then intensive ground tests were carried out.
20 13 entered the ground taxi test in May, which means that the Sword UAV is one step closer to its first flight, and it also means that China will be the third country in the world to test a large stealth unmanned attack aircraft before the British Raytheon UAV after the American X-47B UAV and the European Neuron UAV.
2013165438+1October 2 1, the sword stealth unmanned attack aircraft successfully completed its first flight in a flight test center in southwest China. "Sword" unmanned attack aircraft has achieved perfect results in the process of technical verification. The first is to verify stealth technology. The second is to verify the advanced pneumatic layout. The third is to verify the advanced flight control system. The fourth is to verify the autonomous navigation and mission control system. The fifth is to verify the engine system.
In order to develop this kind of unmanned attack fighter with the most advanced level in the world, all technical obstacles have been broken through. The "Sword" UAV was rolled off the production line on 20 12, and the ground taxiing test was carried out on 20 13 in May. After half a year, it successfully made its first flight, making China the third country after the United States and France to test-fly a large stealth unmanned combat aircraft.
20 14, AVIC called the project a "significant achievement" and a "historic leap". Some analysts said that this means that the technical difficulties related to the "Sword" drone have been broken. The breakthrough of "Sword" made China realize the leap from unmanned aerial vehicle to unmanned combat aircraft. Now, the "Sword" has made another breakthrough, with a leap every year, which shows that China has made unmanned combat aircraft the focus of future equipment development.
Unlike the propeller engines used by pterosaurs and Rainbow series UAVs, the engine of Lijian is a turbofan engine used by the third and fourth generation UAVs, with a maximum takeoff weight of 10 ton and a bomb load far exceeding several hundred kilograms. The biggest advantage of "sword" is its invisibility. In addition to routine aerial reconnaissance, battlefield surveillance and fixed-point clearance tasks, it can also perform combat tasks such as suppressing enemy air defense systems and attacking the ground.
The primary task of Sword Stealth UAV is to perform long-range and long-endurance reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. The second is to carry out certain attack tasks and effectively attack various maritime and land targets; The third is to escort large warships, which constitutes an important link in the maritime defense, interception and communication system.
It can be used in various non-war operations such as target indication, aerial surveillance, search and rescue, and it can also play an important role in the deterrence and attack of anti-terrorism and anti-piracy at sea. In addition, the unmanned reconnaissance plane can go deep into the front of the position and behind the enemy lines for one or two hundred kilometers, or even more. It relies on visible light cameras, movie cameras, standard or low-light-level television cameras, infrared scanners and radars installed on aircraft to complete various reconnaissance and surveillance tasks.
"Sword" UAV has independent intellectual property rights and has automatic tracking and reconnaissance functions. The aircraft uses a single engine and a front three-point landing gear, and adopts a flying wing layout similar to many UAVs and B-2 in the United States. China has become the latest major space power to demonstrate the prototype of attack UAV with jet power and low radar characteristics.