PLAAF Reveals GJ-11 Mysterious Dragon Flying With J-20 Fighter and J-16D Electronic Warfare Jet

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is openly featuring the GJ-11 unmanned combat air vehicle in its own anniversary film. A microfilm released in mid-November for the PLAAF’s 76th founding year shows the stealth flying-wing drone, callsign Xuanlong 08, flying in formation with a J-20 fighter and a J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. In the same material the PLAAF uses the name often translated as “Mysterious Dragon” or “Fantasy Dragon.”

According to Chinese military commentators, that usage marks a shift away from the long-familiar “Sharp Sword” label used for earlier prototypes. The new Xuanlong name now appears as the formal designation in air-force messaging, while Sharp Sword survives mainly in foreign reporting and older public material.

A less refined GJ-11 prototype first flew in 2013, and a much cleaner low-observable configuration appeared on a parade vehicle in Beijing in 2019 with a reshaped exhaust and revised upper surfaces.

PLAAF Anniversary Film Shows GJ-11 Mysterious Dragon In Formation Flight

In the anniversary film released on 11 November, one sequence follows a GJ-11 as it emerges from a hardened shelter, taxies to the runway and takes off. Another angle shows a J-16 crew in the cockpit, then cuts to a view of the GJ-11 flying ahead of a J-20 and a J-16D in echelon at altitude.

In Mandarin, the J-20 pilot uses the callsign Weilong 01, “Mighty Dragon,” and acknowledges Xuanlong 08 joining the formation. Subtitles from Chinese media show the reply “Weilong 01 received, cooperation with Xuanlong established.”

According to defence officials, the footage was cleared as part of the anniversary campaign and cut from training material that had not previously been public. Chinese outlets describe this as the first time the actual GJ-11 has been shown flying, instead of static models or computer graphics.

One expert quoted in state media called the J-20, J-16D and GJ-11 combination a “perfect combination for penetrating hostile defence lines,” with the drone expected to press deeper into defended airspace while the J-16D focuses on jamming and the J-20 provides air cover. Earlier computer-generated training clips showed a two-seat J-20 variant guiding several GJ-11s, and the new live-action film now presents a similar arrangement with real aircraft.

Stealth Design Features And Missions Of The GJ-11 UCAV

Open sources put the GJ-11 at around 11 to 12 meters long, with a wingspan near 14 meters and a maximum take-off weight close to 10 tons. The airframe uses a tailless flying-wing layout with no vertical surfaces, a blended center body and wing, and a dorsal air intake that hides the engine face from ground radars.

The underside houses two internal weapons bays between the main gear doors. According to industry sources, each bay can carry several small guided munitions or electronic-warfare payloads.

Analysts who reviewed imagery from the 2019 parade note that the early circular exhaust nozzle has been replaced by a flattened outlet with serrated edges, closer to Western flying-wing demonstrators. Shielding from the upper fuselage and the new nozzle geometry both cut radar and infrared returns from the rear of the aircraft.

Recent stills from the anniversary video show a faceted window ahead of the nose gear bay that resembles an electro-optical targeting system. A sensor in that position would allow the GJ-11 to find and track ground or surface targets while keeping its own radar silent. Estimates in defence publications give a top speed just under 1,000 km/h, a combat radius beyond 1,500 km and endurance around six to eight hours.

Chinese and foreign reporting describe the GJ-11 as an attack-optimised UCAV with a major intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance role. The “Gongji” element in its official name literally means “attack,” and state media commentaries link the type to deep strikes on high-value sites such as fixed radars and command posts using precision weapons carried internally.

Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor quoted regularly in Chinese outlets, said the GJ-11 “can be controlled from the ground and can also be linked with the J-20 to extend its firepower,” stressing the option of both remote piloting and airborne command. Earlier animated material showed a two-seat J-20 managing three GJ-11s; the new footage is the first strong sign that this command setup has moved into real flight testing.

Shigatse Malan And Other Clues To Emerging GJ-11 Operations

Satellite imagery from August and early September 2025 shows three GJ-11s parked for weeks on the military side of Shigatse Air Base in Tibet, alongside other drones and Flanker-family fighters at a dual-use field that supports Chinese patrols along the Indian border. According to industry sources, moving a stealth UCAV from closed test ranges to a busy frontier airfield points to work on tactics and procedures closer to operational conditions.

Shigatse has a main runway of about 5,000 meters and a secondary strip near 3,000 meters. The base lies at roughly 3,780 meters elevation, which shortens transit time to border sectors and puts unmanned aircraft into thinner air soon after take-off. Other large drones based there include the WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance type and members of the CH series.

At Malan in Xinjiang, overhead images from 2024 and 2025 repeatedly show pairs of GJ-11s on runways and taxiways, with extensive hangars and test instrumentation nearby. The same site hosts at least two much larger flying wings, including a cranked-kite design often labelled GJ-X in open sources. Officials familiar with the programme describe Malan as a hub for advanced unmanned testing rather than day-to-day frontline sorties.

Naval work with the GJ-11 family appears in several public glimpses. A version with visible wing-fold lines led the unmanned column in the 3 September 2025 military parade in Beijing, a strong hint toward carrier use. Later in the autumn, photos from a coastal test range showed an aircraft widely referred to as GJ-21 flying with naval markings, pitot booms still fitted, gear doors open and an arrestor hook down during approach.

According to industry officials, the GJ-21 is intended for catapult launches and arrested recoveries from new Chinese flattops, including the Fujian-class carrier and the Type 076 landing helicopter dock. These decks will also embark J-35 fighters and KJ-600-type early warning aircraft, with unmanned platforms in strike and reconnaissance roles.

The shift in PLAAF usage from the Sharp Sword nickname to the Xuanlong or Mysterious Dragon name matches this move toward mature service entry. Sharp Sword is now understood as the label for early demonstrators, while Mysterious Dragon marks production-standard UCAVs assigned to regular units.

Chinese Flying Wing Drone Family From GJ-11 To CH-7 And GJ-21

GJ-11’s appearance in real flight footage comes at the same time as new evidence from other Chinese flying-wing projects. Images released in November show the larger CH-7 unmanned aircraft in the air in yellow primer with two outward-canted vertical fins added to its tail-less baseline design. The photo confirms that the CH-7 has moved from static and taxi trials into a structured flight-test phase.

Trade-show data and state media place the CH-7 wingspan above 22 meters, with later models closer to 26 meters, a service ceiling around 15,000 meters and endurance of roughly 15 hours. Official descriptions cast it as a high-altitude reconnaissance and stand-off strike platform able to carry anti-radiation and precision weapons in an internal bay.

Chinese commentary often sets the CH-7 as the higher-flying, longer-range sensor and shooter, while the smaller GJ-11 operates nearer the front as a penetrating striker and electronic-warfare node. Imagery from Malan also shows the large GJ-X cranked-kite drone in flight, a heavy stealth unmanned system in its own right.

Our analysis shows the GJ-11 now anchors this family at the tactical end, pairing with front-line fighters for deep strikes and electronic attack while sister projects such as CH-7, GJ-X and the navalised GJ-21 expand the same approach into higher altitudes and carrier decks.

REFERENCE SOURCES

https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-gj-11-mysterious-dragon-stealth-drone-soars-out-of-the-shadows

https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-stealth-sharp-sword-unmanned-combat-air-vehicles-deployed-to-operational-airbase

https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/china-gj11-sharp-sword-drones-tibet-himalayas-shigatse-deployment-2025/

https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/china-releases-footage-of-gj-11-sharp-sword-ucav-in-flight/165247.article

https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/chinas-gj-11-stealth-drone-flies-with-j-20-fighter-in-first-public-display

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332383/pla-shows-first-footage-chinese-gj-11-drone-collaborating-crewed-j-20-fighter

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1347895.shtml

https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/chinas-ch-7-stealth-drone-takes-flight-signaling-a-new-challenge-to-u-s-forces

https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-huge-cj-x-stealth-drone-appears-to-have-been-spotted-in-the-air-for-the-first-time
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