New GJ-11 variant may signal China’s first shipborne stealth combat drone.

A GJ-11 “Sharp Sword” UCAV with visible folding-wing hinges led an unmanned formation at Beijing’s Victory Day parade on Sept. 3, 2025, suggesting carrier adaptation.

As reported by the South China Morning Post on September 22, 2025, China’s GJ-11 “Sharp Sword” unmanned combat aerial vehicle took center stage at the Victory Day parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025, this time showing folding wing hinges that suggest it has been adapted for use from carriers and large amphibious assault ships. The aircraft, which has been linked to both the new Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan and the carrier Fujian, appeared at the head of an unmanned aerial formation during the event.
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Chinese commentators described the GJ-11 as capable of stealth strikes, wide-area coverage, and autonomous coordination, which has fueled discussion that China may be preparing to deploy the world’s first operational ship-based stealth combat drone. (Picture source: Chinese MoD)

The project behind the GJ-11 began in 2009 with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation under what was then known as the Sharp Sword program, later taken forward by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group within AVIC. The GJ-11's first flight took place in November 2013, and the system was formally introduced to the public in 2019 during China’s National Day parade. That version showed clear improvements over the early prototype, which had an exposed engine nozzle. The newer design featured a shielded and flattened exhaust, an update aimed at reducing radar and infrared visibility. At the 2019 parade, the “GJ” designation was introduced, identifying it as part of the attack series, and it was described at the time as a platform for deep strikes and suppression of air defenses. To date, no other country operates such a system.

The drone’s overall design is based on a tailless flying-wing layout, with a blended body and trailing-edge control surfaces shaped to help reduce its radar signature. To improve survivability, it uses a top-mounted S-shaped intake that hides the engine’s blades from radar and a shielded exhaust nozzle designed to limit both radar and heat signatures. Its light gray finish is similar to coatings used on China’s manned stealth fighters. Depending on the source, its size is reported as either 10 meters long with a 14-meter wingspan or 12.2 meters long with a 14.4-meter span, with an estimated takeoff weight of around 10 tonnes. These differences reflect the challenge of measuring or reporting new Chinese systems but confirm the drone’s place as a medium-weight, low-observable strike aircraft.

Publicly available information about performance points to subsonic flight with a top speed of about 690 miles per hour, or 1,111 kilometers per hour. It is estimated to have an endurance of six hours and a combat radius of more than 1,500 kilometers. This would allow it to reach most of the East and South China Seas from bases on the mainland and cover even greater distances if launched from a carrier. The GJ-11 has two internal bays that can hold up to 2,000 kilograms of weapons, including precision-guided bombs, anti-radiation missiles, or cruise missiles. In other configurations, those spaces can be used for sensors to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, giving the aircraft flexibility to operate in both strike and intelligence roles without changing its external shape.

Chinese media and defense commentary describe the GJ-11 as capable of a high degree of automation. Reports claim it can take off, fly a mission, and return on its own, with artificial intelligence assisting in navigation, target identification, and weapons use. In 2022, it was seen flying with a J-20 stealth fighter, reinforcing the idea that it could serve as a “loyal wingman” in manned-unmanned teaming. In such operations, it could extend a fighter’s field of view, act as the first platform to engage air defenses, carry additional weapons, or serve as a decoy to draw enemy fire. When deployed in groups, GJ-11s could work together, with one acting as a control node and others carrying out strike or relay tasks, adding new options for how China’s air forces could conduct missions.

Beyond the parade, there are other signs pointing to a naval role. AVIC showed a concept of a foldable GJ-11 taking off from an amphibious ship in 2021, and satellite images have since revealed mockups at a full-scale carrier test facility in Wuhan and at a new site on Changxing Island, very close to where the first Type 076 is being built. Analysts believe this site is designed for testing how drones like the GJ-11 could be handled on a ship’s deck. With electromagnetic catapults planned for both the Type 076 and the Fujian, the conditions for operating fixed-wing drones at sea are being put in place. These steps indicate preparation for deploying the GJ-11 on ships, which would greatly expand the range and surveillance capabilities of Chinese amphibious assault ships and carriers.

In comparison with other countries, China would be breaking new ground if it puts the GJ-11 into shipboard service. The U.S. Navy ended its X-47B program in 2015 after proving a drone could launch and land from a carrier, while the MQ-25 Stingray, which is nearing service, is designed as a tanker rather than a strike drone. Russia’s Okhotnik-B is land-based, and European projects such as nEUROn and Taranis stopped after demonstrator phases. Chinese industry has also shown videos of GJ-11s launching decoys, performing electronic warfare, and carrying out swarming attacks on warships, hinting at possible operational concepts. Taken together, the public appearances, imagery of mockups near shipbuilding sites, and signs of deck-handling trials suggest that the GJ-11 is being prepared for a role that no other military has yet achieved: a carrier-capable stealth combat drone integrated into an operational fleet.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.