The AVIC Baidi Type-B (白帝, lit. " White Emperor") is a fictional 6th generation stealth fighter

spaceplane A spaceplane is a vehicle that can flight, fly and gliding flight, glide as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and function as a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbit ...

mock-up In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at le ...

built by the

Aviation Industry Corporation of China The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is a Chinese state-owned publicly-traded aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Beijing. AVIC is overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the ...

(AVIC) and unveiled in November 2024 at the

Zhuhai Airshow China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () and Zhuhai Airshow (), is a biennial international aerospace trade expo held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Guangdong, since 1996. It is the largest ai ...

. At the time, some observers discussed the mock-up as if it was a non-fictional aircraft project. In reality, the Baidi model is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

concept derived from an AVIC-sponsored

alien invasion Alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and films, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade Earth to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it, harvest people for food, steal the planet's resource ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, which serves the purpose of generating enthusiasm for military development for Chinese youth.

History and reaction

In November 2024, AVIC released footage of a mockup of the “integrated space-air fighter”, named Baidi (White Emperor), which AVIC claimed would be capable of operating in outer space. The Baidi is a fictional plane in a popular novel

sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

series, immediately recognizable to Chinese aviation enthusiasts, but the mockup was interpreted as a real proposal and generated discussions in the West, with many news organizations speculating about its capabilities. Critics quickly pointed out that the claims about space operations lacked evidence and were "dubious", with some soon correctly doubting the aircraft's existence and comparing it to the fictional ''Darkstar'' aircraft from the movie '' Top Gun: Maverick''. According to Chinese sources, the fighter mock-up is derived from a

and served as a

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

scheme to increase young people's interest in aviation development. However, commentaries also point out that, as AVIC backed the project, the Baidi could be representative of the vision and technological trends that the Chinese aviation industry was pursuing at time.

References

{{AVIC Aero Products Proposed aircraft of China Fictional aircraft Science fiction Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear Stealth aircraft Twinjets 2024 hoaxes