• Two prototypes for China's future stealth strike fighter took the skies in broad daylight.
• Both appear to be advanced flying wing designs useful for attack missions.
• China watchers buzzed about the possible roles of a fighter that could rival US aircraft.

Two prototypes for China's future stealth strike fighter took the skies in broad daylight in recent days, showcasing China's growing aerospace might as it tries to match the US.

The designs appeared intended to make a splash. One showed a triangular aircraft similar to America's retired F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, with some notable differences. The prototype by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation lacked a tail and fin-like vertical stabilizers and was powered by three engines; a new video shows it in a low-altitude turn accompanied by a J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter.

Photos and videos also recently captured a stealth prototype, attributed to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, fueling speculation the aircraft may be rivals.

The sightings immediately prompted questions among aviation watchers about whether these designs were stealthy strike aircraft (designed to ground-attack areas guarded by air defenses) or contenders for a leap-ahead sixth-generation air superiority fighter, of the sort the US is struggling to define.

"Fascinating that the [People's Liberation Army Air Force/Chinese Communist Party] have chosen to fly this prototype in daylight now," Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at the UK's RUSI think tank, said on X. "I suspect more likely to be the 5th Gen regional bomber/strike fighter project sometimes called J/H-XX."

A Defense Department report released in mid-December said that China "is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets."

Both prototype aircraft appear to be flying wing designs, which more efficiently distribute an aircraft's load and reduce drag. These aircraft are more inherently unstable and require automated fly-by-wire systems that constantly change the aircraft's flight controls. The US Air Force has leaned into this design with its Northrop B-2 Spirit and Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider bombers.

By eliminating a tail and vertical stabilizers, the flying wing reduces the number of angled surfaces that can produce radar returns. These types of aircraft may be able to strike defended areas before being detected on radar.

• Trumpworld is apparently reconsidering Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon amid growing scrutiny.
• The Fox News host has faced allegations of misconduct, but he is fighting them.
• There are several prominent contenders the president-elect could still tap as defense secretary.

An Army veteran in the Senate. A former Pentagon official who's a leading China hawk. A former top rival for the GOP presidential nomination.

Those are some of the options President-elect Donald Trump and his allies are reportedly considering for defense secretary as allegations and character concerns cloud his unconventional pick to lead the Pentagon.

Trump is said to have been surprised by allegations that have emerged about his pick, Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host and Trump confidant has faced accusations of sexual assault, financial mismanagement at the veteran's advocacy group he led, excessive alcohol use, and belittling behavior toward women.

The allegations have complicated the Army veteran's chances at confirmation even in a GOP-controlled Senate.

Hegseth has said the sexual encounter, which happened in 2017, was consensual. He was not charged with a crime in relation to the incident. He has slammed media coverage of the allegations as "fake" and "BS" and has said he will not "back down." In an op-ed published Wednesday, he said the growing scrutiny was a "textbook manufactured media takedown."

In the piece, which was shared by the Trump transition team, Hegseth wrote that he is looking "forward to an honest confirmation hearing, not a press show trial based on anonymous accusations."

Hegseth met with lawmakers at the Capitol this week to discuss plans for the defense department, address the mounting misconduct allegations against him, and shore up congressional support, even by promising not to drink alcohol if they'll confirm him.

GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his meeting with the embattled defense secretary-designate went well, adding that Hegseth laid out "a big vision for how to fix the problems" at the department, CNN reported. He didn't say whether he would support Hegseth's nomination, though.

Other Republican senators offered mixed reactions, ranging from continued uncertainty to full-fledged support. But even if the political winds shift in Hegseth's favor, many reports have said that Trump is already considering other potential nominees.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news the president-elect was considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other names that various sources within Trump world have floated include former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

"This country's full of talented people," Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, told Business Insider. "The Secretary's main job is dealing with Congress, since they control most of defense policy. So generally someone who's had legislative experience is a huge advantage."

The names being floated would potentially be politically safer choices with much more experience in government. Their experience and stature could make them more independent of an incoming White House that prizes loyalty, however.

It remains to be seen whether Trump will drop Hegseth, who is showing no intention at the moment to withdraw as the nominee on his own. Hegseth said Thursday he met with Trump and that he "fully supports" him, but ABC News reports the president-elect isn't working the phones to try to save him like he did Matt Gaetz.

Meanwhile, back-up options wait in the wings.

Former political rival Gov. Ron DeSantis

Citing sources familiar with the decision-making, NBC News reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis is "very much in contention" to lead Trump's Department of Defense should Hegseth drop out of the running.

DeSantis was Trump's primary rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, earning insulting nicknames from Trump that included "Ron DeSanctimonious," "Ron DeSanctus," and "Meatball Ron." The president-elect said that he "officially retired" the nicknames after DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary in January.

When he was still on the campaign trail, DeSantis leaned into his military background, which was seen as a key differentiator.

The Florida governor highlighted his US military service as a judge advocate general in the US Navy during the first GOP presidential primary debate, and he emphasized being deployed "alongside" Navy SEALs in Iraq and stationed at the controversial Guantánamo Bay detention facility in campaign speeches and ads.

However, much about DeSantis' active-duty career in the Navy remains a mystery to the public.

The Navy redacted certain details in records of DeSantis' military duties, saying that the "release of such information would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of Ronald D. DeSantis and other identified individuals" in response to a federal public records request.

Among the potential replacements for Hegseth, DeSantis appears to have emerged as a frontrunner. Some Democratic senators have expressed more openness to DeSantis as defense secretary than they have for Trump's current pick.

Congresisonal Army veteran Sen. Joni Ernst

Serving in the Iowa Army National Guard for over two decades, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst is a longtime Trump ally. She has said she was sexually harassed while in uniform.

Ernst, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, was previously under consideration as defense secretary before the president-elect tapped Hegseth. If Trump were to revisit her as a nominee and if she were to be confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead the Pentagon.

Calling herself the "top watchDOGE," the Iowa Republican was named to spearhead the Senate's partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump's new initiative to cut federal spending and government waste.

Seen as a potential swing vote in Hegseth's confirmation, Ernst met with him at the Capitol on Wednesday, saying that they were "just going to have a really frank and thorough conversation" regarding his vision for the DoD and the emerging misconduct allegations against him.

In a post on X, she wrote: "I appreciate Pete Hegseth's service to our country, something we both share." She didn't go into detail on how she might vote, though.

China hawk Elbridge Colby

Elbridge Colby, a former senior Pentagon official, is another potential replacement for Hegseth, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, among others, reported on Thursday.

He has, however, shown his support for Hegseth in posts online, saying that the current pick "knows the costs of war" and is committed to Trump's "vital vision of peace through strength and putting Americans first."

Colby served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the first Trump administration. He also helped shape the department's National Defense Strategy, which was published in early 2018.

Like Trump's pick for secretary of state, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, Colby is hawkish on China and has consistently emphasized the need for the US to focus its efforts on countering that threat, particularly China's growing, increasingly modernized military.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Colby praised Trump, saying that the incoming commander-in-chief "hasn't even taken office yet, and he's already putting America on a path toward a much better foreign policy. Foreign countries can see the strength and clarity he projects and they are adapting already."