New Chinese fighter jet seen over Chengdu tacitly confirmed by military

Mysterious aircraft bearing triangular tailless design sparks speculation it has cutting-edge stealth and endurance capabilities

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Images of a new stealth fighter jet, which is believed to be a sixth-generation fighter jet, circulating on social media. Photo: SCMP

Published: 3:00am, 27 Dec 2024Updated: 7:41pm, 27 Dec 2024

As footage and images of what might have been the maiden flight of China’s sixth-generation fighter jet went viral on Thursday, the country’s official military media appeared to tacitly confirm the speculation.

A mysterious aircraft bearing a triangular tailless design was seen flying over Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province in broad daylight, flanked by a fifth-generation J-20 fighter jet, according to videos shared on Chinese social media.

While the jet – speculated by observers to feature cutting-edge stealth and endurance capabilities – has yet to be officially identified or named, a provincial newspaper made reference to the aircraft.

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New Chinese fighter jet seen over Chengdu tacitly confirmed by military

“It really looks like a leaf,” the Chengdu-based Defence Times wrote on its Weibo account alongside an image of a ginkgo leaf.

The post quickly circulated across social media and was widely interpreted as a semi-official acknowledgement of the new fighter jet.

The test flight coincided with the birthday of Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China. Many Chinese netizens commemorated Mao on social media, with some viewing the flight as a symbolic tribute to the former leader.

“Looking back, we only had 17 cobbled-together aeroplanes when Mao proclaimed the founding of China in 1949,” one commented. “In contrast, the United States, fresh out of World War II, had 20,000 fighter jets.”

In recent years, China has rapidly developed its military equipment amid heightened tensions with the US.