GJ-11 Sharp Sword

China's first operational stealth flying-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle — a penetrating strike and ISR platform that demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming with J-20 fighters and is evolving into a carrier-capable naval derivative.

Overview

The GJ-11 Sharp Sword (officially Xuanlong / Mysterious Dragon, earlier known as the Lijian demonstrator) is a tailless, single-engine flying-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed to carry precision strike and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads inside low-observable internal bays. It is the fruit of China’s 601-S flying-wing research program, matured from a 2013 technology demonstrator into a refined stealth configuration paraded in 2019 and declared operational by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in late 2025. The type is central to China’s emerging manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) doctrine — public footage shows it flying as a loyal wingman to J-20 and J-16D fighters — and a naval derivative, the GJ-21, is actively flight-testing for carrier and amphibious assault ship operations.

Development

The Sharp Sword program emerged in 2009 as part of the AVIC-led 601-S family of low-observable flying-wing studies. The Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (SYADI) took the design lead while Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG) built the airframe. A demonstrator with an exposed engine nozzle — the Lijian — began ground testing in December 2012 and made a roughly 20-minute maiden flight from HAIG’s airfield on 21 November 2013, making China the fourth nation to fly a stealth UCAV after the United States, France and the United Kingdom, according to Wikipedia.

The program then entered a long period of opacity before a drastically redesigned, fully shielded exhaust configuration — now designated GJ-11 — rolled across Tiananmen Square during the 1 October 2019 National Day parade. The U.S. Army’s ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide lists a 2020 introduction date for the type, but Chinese authorities formally announced the land-based GJ-11’s entry into PLAAF operational service in November 2025, as reported by The War Zone. The same month the PLAAF unveiled the official name Xuanlong (Mysterious Dragon) and released the first footage of the aircraft in flight.

Design & capabilities

The GJ-11 is a pure tailless flying wing with a serrated, cranked-kite planform, an S-duct dorsal intake, and a flattened, shrouded exhaust — features that dramatically reduce radar, infrared, and visual signatures compared to the 2013 demonstrator, an assessment supported by The War Zone and CSIS. Power comes from a single, unnamed Guizhou-built turbofan; the intake and exhaust design are integral to the stealth treatment.

Payload is carried in two internal bays that Army Recognition estimates can accommodate up to ~2,000 kg of precision-guided bombs, anti-radiation or cruise missiles, or electronic-warfare and decoy payloads — a figure also referenced by the U.S. Army’s ODIN guide. No precise sensor suite has been publicly disclosed, but Chinese industry videos have shown the bays reconfigured for reconnaissance and dispenser roles, implying a modular mission palate.

On 11 November 2025 the PLAAF released footage of a GJ-11 — callsign “Xuanlong 08” — taking off, forming up with a J-20 and a J-16D, and responding to radio handover commands, the first public demonstration of manned-unmanned teaming with the type, as detailed by The Aviationist. Chinese media attribute a high degree of AI-assisted navigation and targeting to the drone and describe control hand-offs from the two-seat J-20S, though the exact autonomy level and datalink architecture remain not publicly established.

Variants

• GJ-11 (land-based): Baseline PLAAF variant with fixed wings, runway take-off and landing, and the full stealth mold line. This is the configuration that appeared at the 2019 parade and entered service in 2025.
• GJ-21 (naval, also referred to as GJ-11H / GJ-11J): A carrier-capable derivative incorporating folding wings, an arrestor hook, twin-wheel nose gear, and a visible catapult launch bar for CATOBAR/EMALS operations. Flight-test imagery of the GJ-21 with landing gear extended surfaced in May 2026, and a mock-up was observed aboard the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan in early 2026, as recorded by The Aviationist and The Aviationist.

Combat record / operational use

The GJ-11 has no combat record. Its operational exposure has been limited to test and evaluation activity, deployed in a pattern that external analysts read as accelerating toward meaningful operational capability.

After the 2013 demonstrator flight, the program remained largely out of sight until 2019. From 2024, Planet Labs imagery showed two GJ-11s flying near-daily at the Malan test base in Xinjiang, while between 6 August and 5 September 2025 three airframes operated from Shigatse Air Base, Tibet, a dual-use field roughly 145 km from the Indian border, a deployment The War Zone assessed as the type’s first appearance at an operational base.

A mock-up led the unmanned formation at the 3 September 2025 Beijing parade, with visible folding-wing hinges that Army Recognition linked to the GJ-21’s intended shipboard role. The 11 November 2025 PLAAF microfilm, covered by Global Times, showed the landmark formation flying with J-20 and J-16D aircraft, and Chinese commentators described the trio as “perfect” for penetrating defended airspace, with the GJ-11 acting as a forward, expendable sensor-shooter. Naval GJ-21 testing advanced throughout 2025–2026 with a definitive arrestor-hook flight on 1 November 2025 and deck mock-ups on the Type 076 in January 2026.

Advantages

• Authentic low-observable design: Tailless flying-wing shape, S-duct intake, shrouded exhaust, and serrated internal bay doors give the GJ-11 a genuine stealth signature, a substantial leap from the 2013 demonstrator.
• MUM-T proven in public footage: The November 2025 video demonstrated formation flying and radio handover with J-20 and J-16D aircraft, signaling a working manned-unmanned teaming link — a first for a Chinese UCAV.
• Modular internal payload: ~2 000 kg (est.) of internal stores can be tailored to strike, ISR, decoy-dispensing, or electronic-attack roles without breaking the stealth mold line.
• Forward-deployable from high-altitude bases: The 2025 Shigatse deployment, at 3,782 m elevation, demonstrated an ability to operate from austere, high-altitude airfields close to potential flashpoints.
• Naval growth path: The GJ-21 puts a stealth strike/reconnaissance asset on the doorstep of PLAN carriers and big-deck amphibs, a niche no Western naval UCAV currently fills operationally.

Drawbacks / limitations

• Nearly all performance data are unofficial estimates: Endurance, payload, sensor fit, and autonomy levels are not publicly established, making independent capability assessment difficult.
• No combat provenance: The public record consists of test-base imagery, parade mock-ups, and choreographed PLAAF footage; the type has never been employed in real operations.
• Unconfirmed powerplant: The single, unnamed Guizhou turbofan raises questions about serial production availability and actual installed thrust.
• Demonstrated teamwork remains basic: The November 2025 clip showed formation flying, not dynamic combat behavior, leaving the true degree of autonomous control unclear.
• Subsonic limitation: The estimated ~1,111 km/h top speed — like that of other flying-wing strike platforms — leaves the drone dependent on stealth for survivability; once detected, it has limited defensive kinematics.

Counterparts

• Anduril Fury (USA)
• Bayraktar Akinci (Turkey)

Outlook

The GJ-11 is the clearest operational expression of China’s bet on stealth flying-wing UCAVs. The land-based fleet will likely mature into a persistent ISR-strike arm paired with two-seat J-20S controllers and J-16D jammers, while the naval GJ-21 is widely expected to fly off the electromagnetic catapults of the Type 076 Sichuan — which began sea trials in late 2025 — and eventually the carrier Fujian. Those advances would give the PLAN’s amphibious groups an organic low-observable strike arm with no direct Western counterpart in service today. However, until the aircraft demonstrate combat autonomy and sensor integration in contested environments, external analysts will continue to weigh public claims against the hard yardstick of operational deeds.

Key specifications

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Hongdu GJ-11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongdu_GJ-11
2. The War Zone — China’s Stealth Sharp Sword Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles Deployed To Operational Airbase. https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-stealth-sharp-sword-unmanned-combat-air-vehicles-deployed-to-operational-airbase
3. The War Zone — China’s GJ-11 Mysterious Dragon Stealth Drone Soars Out Of The Shadows. https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-gj-11-mysterious-dragon-stealth-drone-soars-out-of-the-shadows
4. The Aviationist — China Shows GJ-11 UCAV Flying with J-20 in First Public Clip. https://theaviationist.com/2025/11/11/gj-11-ucav-flying-with-j-20-j-16/
5. Army Recognition — New GJ-11 variant may signal China’s first shipborne stealth combat drone. https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/new-gj-11-variant-may-signal-chinas-first-shipborne-stealth-combat-drone
6. The Aviationist — New Images Show China’s GJ-21 Naval UCAV with Landing Gear Extended. https://theaviationist.com/2026/05/01/new-images-china-gj-21-naval-ucav/
7. The Aviationist — Mockup of China’s GJ-21 Naval UCAV Spotted on Type 076 LHD Sichuan. https://theaviationist.com/2026/01/31/gj-21-ucav-spotted-type-076-lhd-sichuan/
8. CSIS — More Than Missiles: China Previews its New Way of War. https://www.csis.org/analysis/more-missiles-china-previews-its-new-way-war
9. U.S. Army TRADOC ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide — GJ-11 Sharp Sword. https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG/Asset/bb664308b41d682ff0cf74e3355e22c0
10. Global Times — PLA Air Force shows GJ-11 stealth drone in flight with J-20, J-16D for first time in a microfilm. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1347895.shtml
11. The War Zone — China’s Type 076 Supersized Amphibious Assault Ship Heads To Sea On Its Maiden Voyage. https://www.twz.com/sea/chinas-type-076-supersized-amphibious-assault-ship-heads-to-sea-on-its-maiden-voyage