Chinese military fans are eagerly awaiting the unveiling of Sharp Sword, a stealth combat drone that military observers claim will soon conduct its maiden flight.

"Military and aviation fans have been waiting so long to see the Sharp Sword fly high in the sky," said Qu Renming, a white-collar worker in Beijing and military enthusiast. "Fans exchange what they know about the drone and the possible date of its first test flight on military websites. Some people who boast of acquaintances in aviation sector say the maiden flight will take place within a couple of months."

His words were echoed by Liu Zhikai, a university lecturer who has long followed China's aviation industry.

"Since the photos of the Sharp Sword's taxiing were leaked on the Internet, some of my friends who are also military enthusiasts have discussed in our online chat group whether we should fly to the airfield (where the Sharp Sword is suspected of undergoing ground tests) to wait for a chance to see the drone."

The ongoing speculation over the Sharp Sword prototype, a stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle, began in early March after a story appeared in China Aviation News featuring the efforts made by Chinese technicians and manufacturing workers in the development of a new aircraft.

The report has since been interpreted by military observers and fans as an intentionally ambiguous indicator of the successful development of the Sharp Sword, China's equivalent to the US Northrop Grumman X-47 series and the Dassault nEUROn, a collaborative effort of various European companies.

Though the existence of the drone has never been confirmed by authorities or its developers, the codename, Sharp Sword, has been regarded by analysts and fans as its official name.

The delta-wing drone is reported to have been developed by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group and Shenyang Aircraft Corp, which both belong to Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's leading aircraft manufacturer.

Once the drone takes off, China will become the third power, after the US and the European Union, capable of sending stealth drones into the sky.

Li Jie, a senior expert at the Naval Military Studies Research Institute of the People's Liberation Army, told news portal people.com.cn that the unveiling of the Sharp Sword places China ahead of several nations including India, Iran, Israel and Russia in the development of stealth drone technology.

He added that after the stealth drone joins the PLA, it can be used in a wide range of military missions such as long-distance, long-duration reconnaissance, targeted strikes and escorts for battleships.

In recent years, the Chinese aviation industry has witnessed rapid growth in UAV development, with State-owned defense firms and private companies showing great interest in the presumably lucrative arena.

"Reportedly, there is a highly competitive domestic market for UAV system design, research and development, and manufacturing in China. To meet demands, China's UAV research and development community has produced more than 50 designs to date," said a recent research report on China's drone project by the Project 2049 Institute, a US think tank focused on security issues and public policy in Central-Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

However, Wang Yangzhu, deputy director of the Unmanned Aircraft System Institute under Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, suggested that the significant investment in China's UAV development field should be curbed by the government.

"Those who want to make money from this field should pay more attention to research and development rather than follow the steps of others and make products without any edge and competitiveness."

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 06/20/2013 page5)