China unveiled its FH-97A unmanned combat aircraft project, similar to the Loyal Wingman, to the public during this year’s AirShow China 2022.
The increasing use of all types of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on battlefields in recent years shows that this is a technology that is in the making, and here to stay.
All the world’s major military/technological powers have their own developments of unmanned combat aircraft, which will serve as companions and entourage to manned fighters and provide an important force multiplier factor for their Air Forces; and while Australia and the US have been leading this race, China does not want to be left behind.
See also: Loyal Wingman: Boeing’s Australian-produced UCAV now called MQ-28A Ghost Bat
The international aerospace exhibition AirShow China 2022 is currently underway, in which China is showing the latest of its defense industry, and as expected, unmanned systems have a prominent participation. Among them, the FH-97A, an AI-piloted combat aircraft designed to be the faithful companion of the J-20, the fifth-generation fighter of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), stands out.
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According to Chinese media outlet Global Times, the development is being carried out by Feihong Company under the Ninth Academy of China State Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
«The Loyal Wingman is a hot topic in the UAV field in recent years, and is widely regarded as an important part of the future unmanned combat system,» Deng Shuai, chief designer of the drone, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview at the event.
The drone industry generally believes that Loyal Wingman-type vehicles will greatly change the conventional manned aerial combat model, creating a new niche in the air warfare arena, Deng said.
Features
The FH-97A is a small autonomous combat aircraft, built under low detectability criteria, and, unlike other similar developments, it is twin-engine jet. It would have a range of up to 1,000 km and a maximum flight range of 6 hours.
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Other curiosities of the design are that it has the main optronic sensor system installed in the upper forward part of the fuselage and that it has a small, deployable internal weapons bay, in which it would carry eight small infrared guided missiles. These features show that the FH-97A design is strongly oriented towards air-to-air combat.
On the sides, in front of the engine air intakes, it has other optronic detection equipment, which, together with the system installed on the upper part, would provide 360° coverage multispectral missile and aircraft detection capability.
In the upper and lower part of the fuselage, in a sort of «intelligent skin»,it would have integrated the datalink antennas to guarantee communication with other aerial or terrestrial assets, as well as to link up with other drones of the same type and with the manned fighter it would accompany.
In addition to its primary air-to-air mission, the FH-97A is designed to assume reconnaissance roles; detection range extension to provide early threat warning and advanced guidance of smart munitions; signals reconnaissance, electronic warfare and air defense suppression; for which it could carry dedicated payloads on external mountings.
A specialized system
Unlike most modern aerospace developments, which are oriented towards multi-role platforms, it is surprising that China has chosen the path of specialization, designing two types of Loyal Wingma drones, one oriented towards the air-to-air arena (the FH-97A) and the other clearly oriented towards air-to-surface missions, the FH-97.
During the Airshow China 2021, the Feihong company exhibited its FH-97 project, whose design evidences an orientation towards air-to-surface stike capabilities.
Deng Shuai commented the following on the differences between the two models to GT reporters:
«The electro-optical payload of the FH-97 is under the fuselage, while the electro-optical payload of the FH-97A is above the fuselage. The FH-97 uses an intake on the back, while the FH-97A has side intakes. In addition, there are some differences in the weapons bay, as the new FH-97A’s weapons bay is designed to enhance the maneuverability and speed in air combat while the FH-97’s weapons bay is designed for land attack«.
Deng also noted that the twin-engine configuration was chosen because it offered advantages in terms of the aircraft’s speed and maneuverability, given its air-to-air specialization. Another interesting aspect he discussed was that the FH-97A has the ability to perform ultra-short takeoffs using JATO/RATO-type rocket assist and could perform short landings by arrested landing.
In the future, consideration is being given to modifying the drone for carrier-borne operations and providing it with in-flight refueling capability.
