China unveiled a close-up of a stealth strike drone the US gave up on

China has released its clearest footage so far of its high-end stealth attack drone, a scheme category that the US shelved concerning a decade ago.

State media outlet CCTV aired segments this week featuring the Gongji-11, or GJ-11, which translates to "Strike-11," showing off its arm bays, nose-mounted sensor, and landing gear.

Chinese forces archetypal unveiled the tailless drone in 2019 at a national day parade in Beijing, afterward indicated in 2025 that it was in assistance by releasing footage of the GJ-11 flying alongside combatant jets.

But much of the drone had, until now, remained a mystery. This is the archetypal period the People's Liberation Army Air Force is publishing multi-angle, close-up views of the GJ-11, the two on the dirt and in flight.

With an estimated 47-foot wingspan, it has a stealthy airframe loosely akin to that of the B-2 Spirit bomber, sporting a flying-wing shape, a smooth, blended build without external weapons, aligned edges alongside its construction to decrease radar reflections, and an motor tucked inside.

What we can inform concerning China's attack drone

Available data suggests Beijing wants this drone to chiefly attack dirt targets profound rearward enemy lines.

In a TV section aired on Wednesday, province media presenters stated the GJ-11 can transport multiple guided bombs and precision-strike munitions for fortified dirt targets specified as command posts or air defenses.

While the new footage didn't display the types of weapons the GJ-11 can carry, multiple clips did display the drone's twin bay doors, which had sawtooth edges to assistance interrupt up radar signals.

A nose-mounted sensor, which province media stated was electro-optical and infrared, looks akin in form and placement to sensors mounted on fifth-generation combatant jets specified as the F-35 or China's J-20.

That can assistance the GJ-11 fulfill recon missions, which province media presenters stated the drone could assistance crewed combatant jets with.

While China is touting the GJ-11 as a stand-alone attack platform, the drone is additionally designed to be a "loyal wingman," operating alongside crewed airplane specified as the J-20 stealth fighter.

However, it's unclear whether the drone is meant to affect in, or immediately assistance with, air-to-air combat. In the Wednesday segment, province media presenters stated that whenever the GJ-11 is teamed up alongside a combatant jet, the crewed airplane would apparent the skies during directing the GJ-11 to hit "high-value targets."

It's additionally unclear whether the drone has any autonomous capabilities, a important precedence for emerging air-war tech. Notably, this week's published footage showed dirt crews monitoring and controlling the GJ-11 from a mobile command trailer.

In fact, a distinct CCTV study on Monday highlighted the function of individual crews for the GJ-11, featuring two of the PLAAF's archetypal female drone operators launching a live-fire attack test alongside the system.

In October, China stated it had developed a naval type of the drone, called the GJ-21, that successfully took off from an amphibious assault container and returned. Its forces did not publish footage of stated incident.

The American alternative

The US had explored akin stealth attack drones for decades.

The furthest it got — at smallest publically — was alongside a demonstrator built by Northrop Grumman, the X-47B, which the Navy used to demonstrate that a flying-wing stealth drone alongside inner weapons could obtain off from an airplane transporter and refuel autonomously.

A successor built for armed forces assistance was planned. But in 2016, the Pentagon shifted the program toward making a refueler aircraft, the MQ-25 Stingray, following much conversation complete whether a high-end, high-cost attack drone was needed.

Washington is now focusing on evolving Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or sidekick drones for crewed combatant jets, flying onward to affect air and dirt targets, assistance surveil a larger area, and saturate the skies alongside additional airframes for enemy defenses to agreement with.

Unlike a representative high-end stealth drone, these are meant to be attritable and mass-produced.

Russia, meanwhile, is looking into its own stealth deep-strike drone, the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B. While sporting a akin design, the Okhotnik appears to be in an before phase of betterment than the GJ-11.

In 2024, a prototype for the drone was mysteriously attempt downward complete Ukraine by a Russian combatant jet. Western intellect stated it was apt Russia lost authority of the Okhotnik-B and attempt it downward before it could journey additional into Ukrainian territory.