China’s high-altitude, high-speed stealth drone CH-7 has successfully completed its maiden flight at an airfield in northwest China, marking the aircraft’s formal entry into the flight-testing phase, the Global Times learned on Monday from the 11th Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The large flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which has drawn significant attention at previous editions of Airshow China, conducted its inaugural flight to validate key design concepts and technological breakthroughs. CASC official Li Jianhua described the first flight as a critical milestone for any aircraft, emphasizing that the primary objective was to confirm the rationality of the CH-7’s overall design and system integration.
The CH-7 adopts a high-aspect-ratio, tailless flying-wing aerodynamic configuration, a complex design that enhances stealth and endurance but also poses challenges in directional stability. Compared with conventional drones, the aircraft requires verification of a greater number of critical technologies, increasing both technical difficulty and flight-test risk, Li said.
During the maiden flight, the CH-7 successfully validated its basic flight performance, including autonomous taxiing, takeoff and landing, attitude control, and trajectory tracking. Test results were reported to be fully consistent with design expectations and simulation models.
Developed to meet high-end intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) requirements, the CH-7 can carry a range of advanced mission payloads, including visible-light and infrared sensors. According to its developer, the drone features long endurance, high operational ceiling, fast cruise speed, and strong mission capability, enabling it to operate effectively under complex battlefield conditions.
The CH-7 has been showcased at multiple editions of Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, with a full-scale airframe displayed publicly for the first time at Airshow China 2024. The aircraft features a top-mounted air intake and a semi-concealed engine exhaust, contributing to its sleek, streamlined profile and reduced radar signature.
The drone incorporates comprehensive stealth measures, including radar-absorbent structures along high-reflectivity edges, stealth coatings across its surface, and low-observable treatments for access panels, landing gear bays, weapon compartments, and even fasteners. These features give the CH-7 exceptionally low observability, allowing it to operate in both asymmetric and highly contested air-defense environments.
Demonstration footage shown at Airshow China 2024 illustrated the CH-7’s capability to conduct long-duration patrols over maritime areas. Upon detecting targets, the UAV can relay real-time data to command centers, providing mid-course or terminal guidance for long-range precision strike weapons.
Military analysts told that while the CH-7’s speed is lower than that of modern fighter jets—making it unsuitable as a close-combat wingman—it is well-suited for forward-deployed reconnaissance missions. Leveraging its stealth and endurance, the drone is expected to conduct prolonged surveillance deep inside contested zones and support follow-on strikes while remaining largely undetected.