China's CH-7 stealth combat drone completes maiden flight after years of development.

China’s CH-7 high-altitude, high-speed, stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as Caihong-7 or Rainbow-7) has completed its maiden flight at an airfield in northwest China, moving the program into a flight testing phase.

On December 15, 2025, the Global Times announced that China’s CH-7 stealth combat drone carried out its maiden flight at an airfield in northwest China. The initial flight focused on validating basic airworthiness, flight control, and autonomous takeoff and landing of the drone, which was unveiled as a full-scale mockup at the Zhuhai Airshow 2018. Stated roles include ground and maritime surveillance, target monitoring, information relay, and participation in networked strike and command architectures.
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The maiden flight of the CH-7 reportedly concentrated on functions that are particularly challenging for tailless unmanned aircraft, including autonomous taxiing, automated takeoff and landing, basic attitude control, and trajectory tracking. (Picture source: CASC)

The maiden flight of the CH-7 was limited in scope and focused on validating basic airworthiness and control functions that are particularly challenging for an unmanned aerial vehicle lacking vertical and horizontal tail surfaces. Functions confirmed to have been checked during this flight included autonomous taxiing, automated takeoff and landing, basic attitude control, and trajectory tracking, all of which are prerequisites for routine operations but carry elevated risk on a tailless configuration, where a directional stability is inherently more difficult to manage. Chinese media emphasize that this phase was intended to confirm the integrity of the aerodynamic design, flight control laws, and propulsion integration rather than demonstrate mission execution. Future testing phases are expected to incrementally introduce higher speeds, higher altitudes, extended duration sorties, and more complex autonomous behaviors, followed by progressive integration of sensors, data links, and payload trials, including the use of internal bays.

The CH-7, also designated Caihong-7 or Rainbow-7, made its first public appearance at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2018, where a full-scale mockup was displayed as part of China’s broader push into stealth unmanned systems. At that stage, this unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) was presented as a large flying wing drone resembling the U.S. Northrop Grumman X-47B, to have a balance between altitude, endurance, and internal payload volume. Early timelines discussed at the time pointed toward a first flight around 2019 and potential production in the early 2020s, reflecting an ambitious development schedule. However, the program progressed more gradually, with visible milestones largely confined to airshow appearances and design refinements rather than confirmed flight activity during the following years.

A revised CH-7 model was shown publicly in 2022, revealing noticeable changes in external geometry that indicated ongoing design maturation. These included sharper and more pronounced canted wingtips, reworked wing flaps, and a longer dorsal engine nacelle, suggesting adjustments to aerodynamic performance, stability, and propulsion integration. At the following Airshow China 2024, the manufacturer, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), displayed what was described as a genuine airframe rather than a mockup, with surface finishes, access panels, and structural details consistent with a flight-ready prototype. Imagery from 2025 then showed the aircraft on a runway, including examples in primer coatings commonly associated with test aircraft, followed by footage and images of the first flight. At least one claim of detachable vertical stabilizers, depending on mission requirements, has also been made.

In terms of design, the CH-7 is a jet-powered, high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance, stealth-oriented flying wing drone designed to reduce detectability while preserving internal volume for fuel, sensors, and weapons. The airframe includes a dorsal air intake supplying a single jet engine and an exhaust arrangement shaped to limit exposure to radar and infrared sensors from multiple aspects. Observations of the 2024 airframe and subsequent flight imagery point to extensive shaping and surface treatments applied to leading edges, access panels, landing gear doors, and internal bay outlines, as well as careful treatment of fasteners and panel junctions. Prototype imagery also shows pitot probes and other test instrumentation typical of early flight campaigns, along with a prominent dorsal antenna and sensor fairing associated with satellite communications, navigation, data links, electronic sensing, and secure communications. Rear-end features visible on the prototype include slot-like exhaust geometry and trailing-edge details that may still evolve as testing progresses.

The missions of the CH-7, according to Chinese media, will center on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and strike support within a networked operational framework, rather than direct, frequent weapon release. Sensor suites are said to include electro-optical and infrared systems for day and night observation, along with radar systems suited to wide-area ground and maritime surveillance, enabling persistent monitoring of regions of interest. Beyond collection, the CH-7 is portrayed as a forward sensor and targeting node capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking targets, then transmitting this real-time information via data links to command, manned aircraft such as the J-20 stealth fighter, J-16 multirole fighter, and H-6K bomber, as well as with ground- and sea-based missile forces. Several descriptions explicitly say that the CH-7 could support mid-course or terminal guidance for long-range air-launched or surface-launched weapons, particularly against radar emitters, command and control nodes, missile launch sites, and naval targets, while noting that its speed and operational concept distinguish it from slower loyal wingman designs intended to operate in close formation with manned fighters.

Performance data associated with the CH-7 varies across its development history: early figures from 2018 include a wingspan of 27.3 m, a maximum takeoff weight of about 8,000 kg, a cruise speed of approximately 612 km/h, a service ceiling of around 16,000 m, and endurance of up to 16 hours. In 2022, references included a length of about 10 m, a wingspan in the 22 m to 26 m class, a maximum takeoff weight near 10,000 kg, and a maximum speed approaching 920 km/h, with a ceiling closer to 13,000 m and endurance around 15 hours. Other figures mentioned include a maximum takeoff weight of up to 13,000 kg, an operational radius of roughly 2,000 km, an internal payload capacity potentially reaching 2,000 kg, and range estimates exceeding 11,500 km under certain assumptions. Within China's wide drone arsenal, the CH-7 will likely complement the GJ-11 Sharp Sword, which is also a stealth flying-wing UAV but more often associated more directly with carrier or strike roles, and high-speed reconnaissance drones like the WZ-8, which prioritize speed over endurance.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.