China's tailless WZ-X UAV conducts flight trials

This rendering shows known features of China's WZ-X unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). (Janes)

A tailless, flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), first identified in satellite imagery of a Chinese test facility in 2025, has begun flight trials, according to images published on Chinese social media.

The UAV, tentatively designated WZ-X, appeared in commercial satellite imagery of Malan Air Base, north of Bosten Lake in China's Xinjiang region, in May 2025. The imagery showed the aircraft parked outside a facility northeast of the airbase's runway.

Janes assesses that the WZ-X has a 52–53 m wingspan and is about 13 m long. Its dimensions and configuration indicate that the UAV is likely being developed for a long-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) role. An additional strike capability cannot be confirmed from the available imagery.

Images showing the UAV in flight appeared on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo in September 2026. Although the images are low-resolution, they provide a clearer view of the aircraft's overall configuration.

The imagery shows a broad-chord centre section that transitions abruptly into long, high-aspect-ratio outboard wing sections, producing a stepped-down planform.

The UAV's landing gear is extended in several images. While the image quality prevents a detailed assessment, available imagery indicates that the aircraft uses tricycle landing gear.

The imagery also appears to show split control surfaces on the outer wing sections.

The WZ-X differs in size and design from other Chinese flying-wing UAVs, including the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) CH-7 (Caihong-7, or Rainbow-7) low-observable UAV. The CH-7 conducted its first flight in December 2025 and has a smaller, deeper centre section and a substantially shorter wingspan than the WZ-X.