The plane is much like one other idea mannequin revealed in the course of the 2018 Singapore Air Present, referred to as the Star Shadow, which was developed with an unspecified Chinese language establishment.
A brand new flying wing kind UAV has emerged in China’s northeastern metropolis of Changchun, within the run as much as the air present anticipated to kick off on Sep. 19, 2025. The plane bears the emblem and markings of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Whereas its designation and identification stay unknown, one angle reveals the letters KZ-2 on the port-side wing. It isn’t recognized, nonetheless, whether or not that is its official designation.
Some observers have tied it to the Star Shadow conceptual UAV, which was first unveiled on the 2018 Singapore Air Present. The mock up of the Star Shadow, developed by Star UAV System Co. Ltd., and the full-sized plane at Changchun seem like practically similar.
The Star UAV System official in an interview lined by DefenseWebTV on YouTube in 2018 stated they “developed this plane with a Chinese language establishment,” suggesting a collaboration with CAS or any of its laboratories. It isn’t clear whether or not he was referring to some other Chinese language state or military-affiliated aerospace science physique.
One other picture exhibiting the identical UAV/UCAV (?) from behind. pic.twitter.com/i9vXmFRhAB
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 16, 2025
Unidentified CAS flying wing plane
CAS is the umbrella physique overseeing practically 100 analysis institutes concerned in practically each department of core STEM (Science Expertise Engineering Arithmetic) analysis and numerous inter-disciplinary fields. The affiliated laboratories routinely have overseas, non-Chinese language scientists on their workers. The web site entry to each CAS and virtually all of its laboratories, can also be open and unrestricted.
Together with the publicized information releases on participation in overseas conferences and analysis papers, it’s advised that UAV developed by CAS might need largely civilian expertise demonstration functions. This might pertain to creating a tailless flying wing design to exhibit CAS’s development into aeronautical sciences, or area new avionics, flight management or propulsion expertise.
Thanks so much to @BerkantGoeksel for locating that faked AI-generated video!
So I up to date this chart once more: Varieties A to D CCAs had been proven on the parade, Sort E was clearly confirmed however not on the parade and Sort F “may” be actual, however remains to be unconfirmed.
Hope this helps! pic.twitter.com/A9tIZR6m9S
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 12, 2025
We additionally have no idea if the plane has flown but. Nevertheless, full-scale fashions or plane are normally not displayed at exhibitions with out having undergone some quantity of precise flight testing.
It’s also too early to say if the PLA would possibly develop an curiosity within the plane. The Chinese language army has over a dozen operational unmanned methods, with no less than 4 pure flying-wing kind plane. These embrace the GJ-11, two of the 4 new CCA/UCAVs displayed within the parade earlier this month and the CH-7 UCAV.
The brand new unknown plane has a distinguished bulge on the highest that slopes down in direction of the tail, and a distinguished chine line that runs alongside the wing’s forefront. The air inlets are resting diagonally on the hump and the higher fuselage, after which flowing into the exhaust that doesn’t have protruding nozzles. The blended wing-body flying wing has a cranked arrow-type wing, considerably much like the Northrop Grumman X-47B that was examined off the U.S. Navy carriers.
Nevertheless, the mounting of the intakes on the aspect suggests the dorsal ‘hump’ is meant to carry house for quite a lot of unknown methods – relying upon whether or not the KZ-2 has civilian or army functions. The plane can also be mounted on jigs, and no touchdown gear is clearly seen. It’s potential that is momentary, and that this might be eliminated in the course of the course of the exhibition.
by way of by78/SDF:
“Extra photographs of that flying wing UAV mannequin from the Chinese language Academy of Sciences.” pic.twitter.com/zegAWNlTYh
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 17, 2025
Star Shadow UAV at 2018 Singapore Air Present
The Star Shadow, in line with its firm consultant, as per the overlaid audio translation by the interpreter, is “specialised for the high-altitude setting” with a turbofan engine, developed by a sister firm of Star UAV System. The corporate already focuses on producing large-scale, autonomous UAVs for transport and cargo roles to distant areas.
This UAV seems, as talked about earlier, practically similar to the CAS’ unidentified flying wing instance at Changchun, apart from the exhaust part. A 2D thrust-vectoring nozzle – just like the F-22, with two vertically-opening flaps – sits between two rectangular flat exhausts, in a triple outlet system. That is per a three-engine configuration, however the UAV has solely two intakes, just like the CAS plane, resting diagonally alongside the ‘hump’.
It’s potential the three exhausts are configured to additional divide the new gases with a view to cut back the IR signature. This might additionally merely be a loosely designed mannequin, not consultant of what the precise flying instance is envisaged to appear to be.
Nevertheless, since it is a scale show mannequin, this evaluation stays within the broad realm of hypothesis. Typically, it’s suffice to say that such initiatives additionally serve largely as expertise demonstrators to check and validate a spread of aerospace applied sciences.
Andreas @RupprechtDeino and Tyler @Aviation_Intel, the design of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences (CAS) has some similarities with the Star Shadow UCAV idea which was first proven on the Singapore Airshow in 2018.
See right here for an interview with Xiangli Qi, the director of Star… pic.twitter.com/OgdBCPPRrS
— Berkant Göksel (@BerkantGoeksel) September 17, 2025
These embrace every little thing from stealth supplies, engines, communication, navigation methods – with quantum navigation and quantum communication being the most recent – electronics, and avionics. These profitable may discover their manner on to future plane. China’s giant fleet of Gen. 4, Gen. 4++ and Gen. 5 plane permits it the luxurious of pursuing initiatives like its three next-generation jets, which is probably not profitable.
That is not like the U.S., which has all its future operational plans and doctrines revolving across the B-21 Raider, the F/A-XX and the F-47 NGAD. As it’s now rising, the result of future wars is being written on the manufacturing facility flooring. As for the brand new flying-wing UAV, we’d have extra data with new photographs and extra particulars that may emerge because the expo opens.
