Blurry images of two seemingly new Chinese military aircraft with stealthy characteristics appeared online on Friday, with defense experts saying they were clearly advanced designs, but there was not enough detail for definitive conclusions.
Both designs are tailless, meaning they do not have vertical stabilizers to help maintain control. Such aircraft are typically kept stable by computers that interpret the pilot’s control inputs.
The larger of the two designs is roughly diamond-shaped, with three air intakes for its engines — two alongside the fuselage and one on top — an extremely unusual configuration. The smaller one has a more conventional layout, but no tail.
