China's high-altitude, high-speed CH-7 UAVs have just completed their first flight at an airport in northwestern China, officially entering the flight testing phase. The Global Times quoted the Institute 11 of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) as saying on December 15.
The CH-7 uses a side-to-side flight aerodynamic configuration with large wing apartments, allowing for many high-performance tasks such asable light sensors and infrared.
According to the developer, this UAV has a long flight time, high ceiling, fast cruise speed and strong mission capabilities, meeting ground reconnaissance requirements and supporting data in complex conditions.
Mr. Li Jianhua of CASC said that the first flight was a particularly important milestone to verify the reasonableness of the design plan and the progress of key technological breakthroughs.
Compared to many other UAVs, the CH-7 needs to test more important technologies due to the high complexity and challenge of stabilizing the direction of the tailless wing, increasing the difficulty and risk of the first flight.
In the first flight, basic features such as self-wheelbase, pose control and tracking were confirmed. The test results were consistent with the design specifications and the simulation model. The developer said that the next testing rounds will focus on flight performance and load function verification.
CH-7 has appeared at many Chinese Aviation Exhibitions in Zhuhai. At Airshow China 2024, for the first time, the real chassis of the CH-7 was displayed, with a ventilation door located on the top of the body, a semi-covered engine spraying system, and a neat, seamless shape. The wing design brings multi-directional stealth efficiency, combining radar wave absorption materials, stealth coating and detailed handling of parts such as the runway, cabin door and screws.
According to the simulation demonstration, CH-7 can patrol long distances at sea, detect targets and transmit data to the command post to guide long-range weapons. Experts say that this UAV is suitable for reconnaissance, battlefield monitoring, secret intelligence collection in high-density air defense and targeting environments, thereby improving the effectiveness of information warfare in modern warfare.
