Zhuhai Air Show 2020

kriss said:

KD-88 says hi.

Click to expand...

In case of KD-88, I have seen it marked as K/AKD88/GX which is in line of PLA naming regulation which is what I meant by ABC123 type of product designation. Unless we see something similar for HD-1, I maintain that it may be just a product name.

P.S.
K/AKD88/GX is: K (Kongjun/Airforce), A (missle), K (Kong/Air), D (Di/Ground). I don't know what does GX mean.

siegecrossbow said:

Remember me?

View attachment 77498

Click to expand...

Is this the heaviest UAV ever? Wiki gives a MTOW of 45k pounds or 20 tons but the underlying source could be making it up I have no idea.

sinophilia said:

Is this the heaviest UAV ever? Wiki gives a MTOW of 45k pounds or 20 tons but the underlying source could be making it up I have no idea.

Click to expand...

We do not have any reliable numbers for GJ-11's MTOW.

But given that we know it uses a WS-13 derivative engine, it is unlikely to be heavier than some other similar UAVs out there that have flown before.
For example, the X-47B uses a non AB F100 engine in a broadly similar airframe (one which is larger than GJ-11 by what we've been able to measure of GJ-11 in the past), and is almost certainly heavier than GJ-11.
We know X-47B has a MTOW of slightly over 20 tons.

Given GJ-11s powerplant, is may be similar to Phantom Ray (which uses a similar thrust category non AB F404 engine in a similar planform), about 16 tons MTOW.

As for the largest flown UCAVs, it likely goes to the Russian S-70 maybe followed by X-47B.

A new ARM...? Might be an optical illusion but 4 groups of control surfaces?

Cloud_Nine_ said:

View attachment 77510

A new ARM...? Might be an optical illusion but 4 groups of control surfaces?

Click to expand...

No, that's the new EW/jammer-pod

Deino said:

No, that's the new EW/jammer-pod

View attachment 77511

Click to expand...

I think he's talking about the missile on the centerline between the intakes.

Bltizo said:

I think he's talking about the missile on the centerline between the intakes.

Click to expand...

Really?? I did not notice?! A strange design ... at first I thought thee are two PL-15 in a perfect row one behind the other, but I think there should be a gap between both missiles!?

Deino said:

Really?? I did not notice?!

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't understand.

There's definitely a missile of some kind between the engine nacelles in that picture, and it does look like it is a single missile with 3 or 4 sets of fins.

Bltizo said:

Sorry, I don't understand.

There's definitely a missile of some kind between the engine nacelles in that picture, and it does look like it is a single missile with 3 or 4 sets of fins.

Click to expand...

Yes, I edited my post but in fact I missed it at first sight.

Having 4 sets of fins is almost unheard of, especially I this layout. Makes me wonder if there indeed is a gap but one that is hidden due to some optic illusion. If so, then we might be looking at two regular missiles. Or that were looking at missile with a booster. Not that it makes sense but then again a missile with four sets of fins doesn't make sense either.
Unless it's some kind of loitering esm / jammer flying vehicle and some of those fins are in fact antennas. Interesting times indeed.