Recent weeks have seen a number of Chinese unmanned aircraft projects break cover. In late June, images appeared of a large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) powered by a single rear-mounted turbofan engine, a swept-back wing and a forward-swept rear wing mounted above the engine. The aircraft, known as the Xianglong, was photographed at the 611 Aircraft Design Institute in Chengdu. It was previously shown in model form at Airshow China in Zhuhai in 2006. Analysts are divided over whether the aircraft is a mock-up or a functioning prototype. Given its size, design and engine, some observers have suggested the aircraft could be China's first high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) reconnaissance UAV - effectively an equivalent of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk.
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