An aircraft model with a tailless aerodynamic design appears in an official promotional video released by the Chinese PLA Air Force on November 9, 2021, celebrating the force's 72nd founding anniversary on November 11. Photo: Screenshot from the Weibo account of the PLA Air Force

 

An aircraft model that appeared in the latest promotional video of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force released on Tuesday has sparked speculation among Chinese military enthusiasts, who believe the model with a tailless aerodynamic design could represent an advanced warplane that is yet to be announced to the public.

But Chinese military experts said on Wednesday that there is no need to overinterpret the situation.

In celebration of the force's upcoming 72nd founding anniversary, which is Thursday, the PLA Air Force released the promotional video titled "Above the Sky" on its social platform accounts on Tuesday.

Depicted in a story as a part of the video, the daughter of a PLA Air Force pilot packed a scale model of an aircraft in an express delivery box as a present to her father, who is carrying out missions away from home.

The video gave a very close-up and prolonged shot at the aircraft model in the hands of the daughter, then another shot from another angle when it reached the hands of the father.

Boosting a unique aerodynamic design, the aircraft model has no tails or vertical stabilizers, as the main wings seem integrated into the rear part of the fuselage, giving the aircraft a blended wing body design, close to a flying wing design.

Covered in a gray primer, the aircraft model has PLA Air Force insignias on the back of its fuselage.

No distinguishable air inlets are visible on the upper side of the fuselage, and the engine nozzles are also unidentifiable from both angles in the video.

It seems the model does not use transparent material to depict a canopy.

After receiving the delivery of the present, the father and the daughter had a video chat on smartphones, in which the father asked if the aircraft model was the present the daughter had sent, but the daughter said "No, the color was different." The father said, "That must be because of the light in the room."

The video soon sparked speculations among Chinese military enthusiasts, many of them speculating the aircraft model could be the long-rumored H-20 stealth bomber.

Judging from the aerodynamic design of the aircraft model, it is likely stealth-capable, they said.

It is tailless, nor does it have vertical stabilizers, which means its maneuverability could be lackluster, so it is more likely a bomber rather than a fighter, observers said, noting that the model's unclear depiction on the canopy makes it uncertain if the aircraft is manned or not.

Since it is a scale model, it is also unclear what the actual size of the aircraft is.

Despite the speculations, a Chinese military aviation expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday that the model could be merely a stage prop and does not reflect any real aircraft in development.

"There is no need to overinterpret it," the expert said.