China Central Television (CCTV) has released footage of what is claimed to be the world’s most realistic bird-like ornithopter. Designed to flap its wings just like a bird, the new drone could have enormous military and civilian applications, experts have claimed.
In case you are unaware, an ornithopter is an aircraft capable of flying by flapping its wings.
The “Small Falcon,” footage of the flapping drone was released on Sunday, March 3. The footage includes the drone’s design, research and development, and field testing clips. The ornithopter was developed by a team of researchers at Xi’an’s Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU).
The Eurasian Times reports that the university has strong connections with China’s defense research sector and is renowned for its significant contributions to developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and hypersonic technology. Its affiliation with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has previously caused it to be added to the U.S. sanctions list.
Based on the analysis by the non-partisan think tank, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s university tracker, NWPU, is the sole Chinese university that operates a UAV defense laboratory. NWPU manufactures the ASN series of UAVs through its subsidiary company, Aisheng Technology Group Co., Ltd.
Most bird-like ornithopter
The company claims to produce 90% of China’s drones, and its biggest customer is the Chinese military. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the university has developed an ornithopter. In October 2023, it introduced a flapping wing drone called the “Xinge,” which broke flight time records and received international acclaim.
The “Small Falcon” is about the size of a bird, and the footage shows the drone gliding and turning just like a real bird. The wings can stretch and fold like a bird’s, which could mean it has near unparalleled flight efficiency for devices of its size.
CCTV reported that the small falcon ornithopter learned this pattern and can imitate birds by developing a new cone crank mechanism.
Chinese media has also reported that the “Small Falcon” ornithopter can fold its wings while flapping them, fold only one wing in flight, adjust the flapping speed, and lock its wings to perform glides. The designs are optimized by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations and wind tunnel tests.
Civilian and military applications
According to CCTV, the “Small Falcon” has potential applications in military reconnaissance, ecological monitoring, and environmental protection. These aircraft are suitable for special operations and ecological monitoring and protection. Experts believe such drones are unlikely to disturb wild animals.
Drones like the “Small Falcon” are designed to mimic the mechanics of bird flight and are, the Eurasian Times reports, considered a significant advancement in Chinese aviation technology. Experts have noted that at higher altitudes, highly biomimetic ornithopters bear a striking resemblance to real birds, to the point that they are difficult to differentiate without specialized equipment.
When it comes to military applications, modern fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft use different technologies to improve their stealth capabilities. However, it is argued that ornithopters should be able to achieve stealth by resembling birds, which provides them with a natural camouflage.
This ability enables these aircraft to blend perfectly into their surroundings, making them more difficult to detect by radar and visual observation.
