China has unveiled the GJ-11 ‘Xuanlong’ stealth unmanned aerial combat vehicle (UCAV) ahead of the 77th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on November 11, 2026.
The state-owned Chinese broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) aired footage of the GJ-11 of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) on November 9, showing close-up imagery of an in-service airframe from multiple angles and providing the most thorough look at the drone since its first public unveiling in 2019.
The footage deliberately focused on previously obscured details, including the GJ-11’s dorsal air intake, blended-wing design, internal weapons bay, nose-mounted sensors, exhaust nozzle, and landing gear, among other things.
It also underscored the drone’s intended mission set, including deep-penetration strikes, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) missions, and Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) with crewed aircraft.
The Chinese state broadcaster said the type completed its first live-fire strike mission. It stated that two self-trained female drone operators of the PLAAF—Shi Xiaoran and Fu Ting scored a “first-round hit” during what was described as the first live-fire strike mission involving the GJ-11.
The operators said a thick cloud initially obscured the target, but they successfully released the weapon on a second pass. The report did not, however, mention the date, testing location, or the munition type used in the live-fire.
Separately, images circulating on Chinese social media showed multiple GJ-11 airframes, prompting speculation that the aircraft has entered low-rate initial production (LRIP).
“And what’s even more interesting is that, for the first time, numbers are clearly visible, which – and I’m going to go out on a limb here – I believe are not serial numbers but rather design numbers. The numbers 0003, 0011 and 0012 are visible, so these are probably LRIP aircraft,” Chinese military aviation specialist Andreas Rupprecht said on X.
The GJ-11 also has a naval variant, a design that has matured over time and is now slated for deployment aboard PLA Navy amphibious assault ships. In fact, the latest footage comes less than a month after China announced that the GJ-21 naval version successfully completed its first launch and recovery onboard the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan, which is outfitted with arresting gear and an electromagnetic catapult.
Coupled with the latest footage, this appears to be a direct signal from China that the stealthy drone is set to become a cornerstone of PLA combat operations.
GJ-11 Is A Loyal Wingman
The GJ-11 is hardly a surprise. Also known by the Chinese name Xuanlong, meaning “Mysterious Dragon,” the drone has been in development for more than a decade.
The drone made its first major public appearance as a static display at the October 2019 National Day parade in Beijing.
Last year, in November 2025, the PLAAF released footage showing, for the first time, an aerial formation consisting of a GJ-11 stealth drone, a J-20 stealth fighter jet, and a J-16D electronic warfare aircraft, as the EurAsian Times reported at the time.
However, the latest video gives us the clearest view of the design transparency and doctrinal signaling linked to this cutting-edge UCAV.
The GJ-11’s pure flying-wing design is apparent in the footage. The platform has a broad, blended center body and continuous leading-edge sweep, with no vertical stabilizers—all showcasing its advanced stealth characteristics.
The dorsal air intake protects the engine from ground-based radar and appears as a low-profile, triangular or trapezoidal aperture on the upper surface. Furthermore, the overall shape prioritizes platform alignment and edge treatment over volume efficiency.
Chinese military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the state-owned publication Global Times that the multi-angle display highlights the GJ-11’s unique stealth characteristics. Its exhaust nozzle has also been modified for stealth, increasing survivability and enabling stealth-based penetration. Its dorsal air intake improves stealth, and to further lower its radar cross-section, it also uses radar-absorbing coatings, he added.
However, the most noteworthy feature that the new footage has shown up-close is the underside of the drone, featuring two internal bays.
The ventral bays, housed inside the aircraft’s blended wing-body, include individual sets of doors with characteristic serrated edges, a typical feature of stealth aircraft. The exact range of weaponry the aircraft can carry, as well as the bays’ internal layout and size, remains unknown, but the CCTV broadcast noted that the two bays can carry a “variety of air-to-ground or surface munitions.”
Notably, the decision to carry all ordnance internally, rather than on external hardpoints, is the central stealth trade-off visible in the footage. Meanwhile, the serrated doors suggest the designers accepted the mechanical and weight penalties of complex bay mechanisms to preserve that advantage during weapon employment.
The video also shows the aircraft taking off, and subsequent side and rear shots show the landing gear folding.
The landing gear, which includes a heavy-duty twin-wheel nose unit, is remarkably durable. No cavities or actuators are exposed in a way that would produce high radar returns, and the gear doors and retraction mechanism appear clean.
Beyond these features, the most consequential detail revealed by the broadcast is that this deep-penetration stealth drone has evolved into a loyal wingman aircraft meant to fly with crewed fighters. CCTV described such drones as able to serve as “the eyes of crewed fighter jets,” performing forward reconnaissance, identifying air-defense systems, acting as decoys, or delivering guided munitions under the direction of fighter jets.
Although the video did not specify partner aircraft, logical teaming options include the J-20, the J-16 multi-role fighter (especially the J-16D electronic-warfare variant), and potentially future sixth-generation fighters. China unveiled the two-seater J-20S at the September 3 Victory Parade in September 2025, with Chinese experts emphasizing that the second crew member in the cockpit could control drones.
Last year, after the GJ-11 appeared in flight with the J-20 and J-16, Song explained why the trio of the GJ-11, J-20, and J-16D was operationally sound.
He reckoned the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft could lead the formation, flying ahead to carry out jamming missions and disable adversary radar systems. Once the enemy air defenses are degraded, the stealthy J-20 fighter jet could fly in with the GJ-11 as a wingman drone. Leveraging their stealth, the two aircraft could decimate high-value targets by penetrating and breaching opponent defense lines.
Moreover, Song stressed that the GJ-11 could serve as an extension of manned aircraft to enter higher-risk combat zones. The GJ-11’s stealth would let it penetrate contested airspace further or earlier than manned platforms, extend sensor reach, distribute risk, saturate defenses, and relay targeting data while crewed aircraft remain outside denser engagement zones.
In a potential US-China conflict linked to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the forces would rely on layered air and missile defenses.
This is where the GJ-11 comes into the picture, particularly because it is designed to operate inside or near those envelopes in ways manned aircraft cannot do.
Its stealthy flying-wing shape, internal weapons bays, and reduced infrared signature allow it to approach radar and SAM sites with lower detectability than non-stealth platforms. It can carry precision munitions for strikes on radars, launchers, or command nodes, given its new SEAD role. It could also act as a decoy, forcing US systems to expend missiles and reveal their positions.
It will aid in risk distribution and force multiplication, as high-threat missions, including deep strike and SEAD against modern air defenses, can be assigned to unmanned platforms first, preserving expensive manned fifth-generation fighters and highly trained pilots. This would increase the number of sorties that can be sustained in a high-intensity conflict without proportional increases in pilot risk.
In a potential combat scenario, this would eventually extend US interceptors and sensors over more tracks, increase the cost of engaging every inbound platform, and allow the PLAAF to create more simultaneous threats.
Beyond that, integrating the GJ-11 with manned jets will extend sensor-shooter networks and penetration. As a stealthy forward node, the GJ-11 will push the sensing and engagement envelope deeper into contested airspace.
When paired with J-20s and J-16D EW aircraft, it will support distributed lethality by creating more simultaneous threats for an adversary’s air defenses, improving targeting quality for standoff weapons, and enabling temporary corridors or the ability to decimate defenses before larger fighter packages arrive.
Notably, the US planners already account for Chinese long-range missiles, ballistic missiles, and growing numbers of fighters. Thus, adding operational stealth UCAVs into this mix will force additional allocation of sensors, interceptors, and munitions against a larger set of low-observable tracks. More importantly, though, it will raise the complexity of maintaining air superiority or defending high-value assets.
The doctrine implied in the latest footage is evolutionary. China is integrating a stealth UCAV into existing fighter-centric tactics—much as the United States and other advanced air forces are pursuing collaborative combat aircraft and loyal-wingman concepts.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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