China Conducts First Stealth Combat Drone Test

China has tested its first stealth combat drone, a "Sharp Sword" unmanned aircraft, state media said Friday, citing online photos of an aircraft resembling a shrunken US B2 bomber and hailing the advance toward Western-level technology.

"The successful flight shows the nation has again narrowed the air-power disparity between itself and Western nations," the China Daily newspaper said, adding the flight made China the "fourth power... capable of putting a stealth drone into the sky".

Images posted online showed a sleek grey delta-wing aircraft apparently powered by a jet engine and resembling an American combat drone.

The flight "implies that China has made the leap from drones to combat drones", it said, calling it the move of "major significance".

Unlike in the American version, the engine appeared to be exposed, which would reduce its stealth capabilities, said Chang, editor of the Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, adding that China did not have "enough experience" in the field.

Beijing is steadily building its military muscle and unveiled its first stealth fighter, the J-20, in early 2011, though it is not expected to enter service until 2018.

China's first aircraft carrier -- a refurbished vessel purchased from Ukraine and named the Liaoning -- went into service in September 2012 but is not expected to be fully operational for several years.

A drone was at the centre of a recent spat between Beijing and Tokyo, whose dispute over islands known as Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese has raised concerns of conflict.

The aircraft was developed by two subsidiaries of Aviation Industry Corp of China, the country's top aircraft manufacturer, the China Daily said.