China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has released footage showing the Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) in flight.
The brief clip shows the tailless GJ-11 flying in formation with a Chengdu J-20 fighter and a Shenyang J-16D electronic warfare aircraft.
According to Beijing’s Global Times propaganda mouthpiece, the clip was produced to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the PLAAF.
The clip also shows the arrowhead-shaped GJ-11 being towed from a hangar, and the aircraft apparently just after taking off, with its landing gear still down.
It is not clear if the aircraft in the video was flown by a ground controller or features a degree of autonomous control. Also unclear is whether the GJ-11 has been inducted into service or is still in testing. It is possible the GJ-11 has entered limited service: in 2024 satellite images showed what appeared to be three GJ-11s on the apron at a Chinese airbase in Tibet.
The GJ-11 appeared in China’s 3 September military parade, but riding on the back of the truck. Online speculation suggests that this was an updated version of the GJ-11 – unofficially designated GJ-21 – designed for aircraft carrier use.
A truck-mounted GJ-11 also appeared in a 2019 military parade, with models appearing at defence shows over the years.
The aircraft features a chin-mounted electro-optical targeting system – EOTS – like that found on other Chinese fighters, such as the J-20 and Shenyang J-35/35A.
While the status of the GJ-11 is not clear, China is clearly working on tailless UCAV designs as part of Chinese ruler Xi Jinping’s massive defence build-up.
September’s parade featured two new tailless UCAV designs, as well as two other new models with a conventional twin-tail layout.
