Blurry images of two seemingly new Chinese military aircraft with an unusual design appeared online on Friday (Dec 27). Reacting to the images, defence experts said that these aircraft were advanced designs, but there was not enough information to come to definitive conclusions.

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Both the aircraft were tailless, meaning they did not have verticle stabilisers to help maintain control. A report by the news agency Reuters said that such aircraft were typically kept stable by computers that interpreted the pilot's control inputs.

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China has not commented on the developments yet. Meanwhile, the United States (US) said it was aware of the reports of these unusual aircraft but did not comment beyond what was included in its annual report on the Chinese military which was released earlier this month. 

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What do the blurry images reveal?

The larger of the two designs is roughly diamond-shaped, with three air intakes for its engines - two alongside the fuselage and one on top - an extremely unusual configuration, Reuters reported. The smaller one has a more conventional layout, but no tail.

Both have the lack of 90-degree angles typical of stealth shaping, which is designed to reduce radar detection.

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'Appears to be a highly original design'

Speaking to the news agency, Euan Graham, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that the designs showed the willingness of China's aviation industry to experiment and innovate.

"Whatever the merits or demerits, it appears to be a highly original design," Graham said.

"They deserve kudos for that, and should shake off any lingering complacency that the US and its allies always set the pace," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)