Chinese drone

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China 'flies first stealth drone' - reports

52 minutes agoAn unidentified plane flew over the East China Sea in SeptemberChina successfully flew a stealth drone for the first time on Thursday, state media said, citing eyewitness reports.A drone, called "Sharp Sword" by the media, made a test flight for around 20 minutes in Chengdu, reports said.China has been developing stealth aircraft in recent years, including J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters.In September, an unmanned drone flew close to a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, raising tensions with Japan.Following that incident, Japan said it would shoot down unmanned aircraft in Japanese airspace.China's Defence Ministry said that any attempt by Japan to shoot down Chinese aircraft would constitute "an act of war"."The successful flight shows the nation has again narrowed the air-power disparity between itself and Western nations," state-run newspaper China Daily said on Friday.Meanwhile, Hong Kong's South China morning post said the successful flight would make China "the fourth country to implement the technology after Britain, France and the United States".The test flight will be seen as a significant step in China's military development, the BBC's Martin Patience reports from Beijing.It comes as China pours money into its military making its neighbours in the region nervous, our correspondent adds.