Role & capabilities
- Aerial reconnaissance
- Multirole mission equipment
- Primary domain
- Air
- System type
- Multirole aircraft
- Developer / manufacturer
- Sichuan Tengden Technology
- Origin / production countries
- China
- Other names
- TB001; Twin-tailed Scorpion; 双尾蝎
- Variants / configurations
- Not distinguished in reviewed sources
- Operators / programme customers
- Chinese military; aircraft observed by JASDF
Evidence & current status
Primary observation current to August 2026. Tengden product endpoint failed; civil cargo figures and multi-engine derivative specifications remain excluded.
TB-001 is the military aircraft identity associated with Sichuan Tengden's Twin-tailed Scorpion programme. The broader product family also includes civil and later multi-engine developments, so a generic Scorpion reference does not necessarily describe the same airframe configuration. CASI's industrial survey provides the manufacturer mapping and distinguishes these derivative lines.
Japan's Joint Staff identified and photographed a TB-001 in an official report published on 20 August 2026. It classified the aircraft as a reconnaissance/attack UAV. This recent primary observation supports documented military use without requiring speculative operator unit assignments or estimates of aircraft numbers.
The original manufacturer's current product endpoint could not be retrieved during this review. Consequently, widely repeated payload, range and endurance figures have not been entered as if they were a verified contemporary TB-001 data sheet. Values for freight-oriented or additional-engine Scorpion versions can differ substantially. The catalogue records the family identity and current observed use now, while leaving configuration-specific performance and licensed-production claims for a future update supported by directly accessible manufacturer or customer documents.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Fixed-wing twin-boom aircraft in the observed TB-001 configuration | JASDF photograph; later Scorpion variants not inferred from this image. Source ↗ |
| Launch / recovery | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Propulsion | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Dimensions | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Mass | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Endurance | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Range | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Speed | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Altitude | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Payload | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Sensors | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
| Communications / navigation | Not established in the reviewed public sources. | Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗ |
Documented milestones
Recent official observation published
Japan publishes identification and photographs of a TB-001; this is use evidence, not a procurement announcement.
Read the announcement ↗
Publication history
- — Added in the September 2026 global coverage review, with sources, configuration limits and explicit data gaps.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.