Chinese J-20 fighters will use supersonic FH-97A drones instead of missiles
China is developing a new strike UAV that will work in tandem with the J-20 Mighty Dragon aircraft. It is expected that supersonic drones will help fighter pilots compensate for the lack of missiles.
The FH-97A drone premiered last November at an exhibition event organized in Zhuhai County. It was developed by engineers at Feihong, a subsidiary of the state-owned CASTC. Initially, the drone was positioned by the manufacturer as a means of combating medium and large UAVs, combat aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, etc. Later it became known that the FH-97A would be used as a lead for Chinese J-20 fighters.
During air battles, hypersonic drones will attack the enemy with smart missiles and barrage munitions. They will compensate fighters for the lack of ammunition. The J-20 can only carry four medium-range missiles and two short-range missiles. The FH-97A drone can carry up to eight air-to-air missiles at a time.
Experts call the FH-97A a clone of the XQ-58A Valkyrie, which was developed by American engineers from Kratos to work in tandem with the F-22 and F-35. It is worth noting that the Valkyrie belongs to the class of subsonic drones. Its Chinese copy is faster.
