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| The Sharp Sword GJ-11, a Stealth Drone That Will Fly With the J-20 Mighty Dragon |
International Military - In 2019, China showcased a new iteration of its flying wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle, the Sharp Sword GJ-11 drone. This he demonstrated through a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country.
The GJ-11 has a standout feature that features a completely redesigned rear aspect. The redesign includes a recessed exhaust compared to the GJ-11 prototype itself. It is this design that can significantly increase the radar evasion capability of the drone.
Read Also: Watch out, China's J-20 Mighty Dragon Is Able to Fly With the GJ-11 Wingmen Combat UAV Trio
Quoted from 19fortyfive.com, the Sharp Sword is a radar-absorbing flying wing. it is capable of flying at 621 miles per hour and has a ceiling of 41,000 feet. And it has an impressive 2,500-mile range.
In fact, Sharp Sword has been showing off to the world since 2013. Its images were all over social media around that year. It turned out that in the same year a prototype made its first flight.
Quoted from The Drive, at the time, the design featured an engine setup with an exhaust that was completely exposed and clearly not hidden. The GJ-11 shown now has a recessed exhaust and the rear is generally slimmer.
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| J-20 Mighty Dragon flies with the Sharp Sword GJ-11 drone |
There has also been much speculation since then about what the Sharp Sword's special roles and missions were over the years. One of its missions is to carry out long-range missions beyond mainland China. Recently, however, it seems that the GJ-11 has a new mission. That is to accompany the J-20 Mighty Dragon to fly as the wingman drone of the stealth aircraft.
Launching Military Watch Magazine, the J-20 Mighty Dragon seems to be integrated with a flying wing stealth drone. New footage from Chinese state media outlet CCTV has confirmed that the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLA) is likely to do this.
The use of drone wingmen is indeed expected to be the main feature of the sixth generation fighter aircraft in the future. This tailless flying wing fuselage also provides optimal stealth capabilities. Where this variant is seen leading a formation of four aircraft with three drones, which resembles the GJ-11 stealth platform flying in support.
In this case, the tailless flying wing fuselage provides optimal stealth. This means the GJ-11 will likely be more difficult to form a radar lockout than the J-20 itself.