China has been making headlines for its growing military superpower status and the latest addition to its military air power is not something to be taken lightly. Dubbed as Dark Sword, China's new unmanned, stealth fighter-style jet has made its debut, and an air combat expert tries to decrypt the jet's capabilities by looking at the images.

Justin Bronk, an air combat expert at the Royal United Services Institute, defines China's Dark Sword as an "absolute nightmare" for the military superpower – the United States of America. Based on Bronk's assessment of the new fighter jet, it looks like the countries with troubled relations with China need an upgrade.

Something like this could transit to areas very fast, and, if produced in large numbers without having to train pilots, could at the very least soak up missiles from US fighters, and at the very best be an effective fighter by itself. If you can produce lots of them, quantity has a quality all its own," Bronk told Business Insider.

China has released images of the Dark Sword jet, which according to Business Insider, offers some significant insights into what the new machine is capable of.

Here are a few key facts about the fighter jet:

  • Dark Sword boasts a unique design philosophy, different than the US and Indian combat jet planes.
  • Dark Sword's design suggests it is optimised for fast, supersonic flight.
  • The F-22 style vertical stabilizers towards the rear suggest its supersonic performance and fighter-style capability, according to Bronk.
  • Dark Sword's unmanned flights allow better maneuverability than those of manned jets.

Without the exact details of the Dark Sword, it is hard to compare it against the current fleet of the Indian Air Force. The fleet includes MIG 21, Dassault Mirage 2000, MIG 29, Sukhoi Su 30 and more.

Here's a detailed look at how the two countries' military strengths compare.

India vs China: Military Power
International Business Times, India

Should India be worried?

Bronk's call to alarm for the US is reason enough for India to be worried. But there are one too many missing pieces in the Dark Sword puzzle. Is it actually a thing? Does it exist? Bronk harbours a fair amount of scepticism towards Dark Sword.

According to him, China's media is tightly controlled and "we only see leaked what the Chinese want us to see." Until more details on the Dark Sword emerge, there's no immediate threat to India or the US, but it is something that shouldn't be taken lightly as a fighter jet as capable as Dark Sword could shoot China's air military power status through the roof.

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