China Projects Air Dominance Role for GJ-11 Stealth UAV

China revealed a new air-dominance role for its Gj-11 stealth UAV by pairing it with the low-radar signature J-20 fighter-bomber aircraft.

The GJ-11 armed reconnaissance drone is on display at the ongoing expo at the Beijing Exhibition Center. This is a type of un-crewed combat aircraft with high stealth, high penetration and precision strike capabilities, state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday.

The drones can also carry out missions including offensive air superiority seizing and suppressive air defense operations under high threats and in highly contested environments just like the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the report said.

This is the first time an official media has revealed that the GJ-11 is capable of seizing air superiority, Chinese observers said.

Armed reconnaissance drones including the GJ-11 have a flying wing aerodynamic design and a top-mounted air inlet design. These are not best suited for air superiority missions, which mainly means air-to-air combat, because of their subsonic speed and low maneuverability. However, the air superiority seizing ability the GJ-11 is capable of might not be the same concept, Global Times reported citing experts.

Since the stealth aircraft can penetrate deep behind hostile air defense, it can conduct precision strike missions on enemy airfields and bases. In this way, the enemy will have to give up air superiority since they have no aircraft in the air in the first place, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times.

Drones such as the GJ-11 recently showed the ability to accompany a twin-seat version of the J-20 in a joint mission. In this concept, drones can serve as external missile carriers and fire air-to-air missiles for the J-20 remotely. This is another way the GJ-11 might conduct air superiority missions, experts said.

According to an official model of the GJ-11 displayed at the Airshow China 2021 held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, the drone has two weapons bays symmetrically positioned between the drone's three landing gears. Each bay has four ammunitions which look like guided precision air-to-ground glide bombs.

It is unknown if the GJ-11’s weapons bays could host air-to-air missiles, but analysts said they have the potential to carry multiple types of munitions.

The GJ-11 made its first public appearance at the National Day military parade on October 1, 2019 in Beijing.