Key Points and Summary – China’s Air Force (PLAAF) has released the “first-ever” air-to-air video of its GJ-11 “Mysterious Dragon” stealth drone, a significant reveal in a new “Top Gun”-style propaganda film.
-The video shows the GJ-11 “working together” with a J-20. A Chinese military expert, Song Zhongping, confirmed they share a datalink, allowing the J-20 to use the drone for “stealth penetration” and to “extend its firepower.”
J-20 Fighter in the Dark. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
China J-20 Fighter Yellow. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-While it is “unclear” if the UCAV is in full service, the footage is a major signal of China’s advancing “loyal wingman” capabilities, a threat Taiwan is scrambling to counter by building its own non-Chinese drone supply chain.
China’s GJ-11 Drone Has Made An Appearance
China is known to be working on an unmanned combat aerial vehicle called the Hongdu GJ-11. Images of the GJ-11 surfaced as far back as 2013, and the weapon was featured at Airshow China in 2021. A mockup appeared last month, alongside numerous next-generation Chinese weapons.
Now we have our best look yet at the GJ-11.
According to The War Zone, which cited a social media post from The STRATCOM Bureau, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) released a video that shows “the new GJ-11 stealth drone (UCAV), and also the J-20 stealth fighter firing a live PL-15 air-to-air missile.”
The video shows the platforms in action, paired with very dramatic music and an aesthetic that resembles the Top Gun films. The video is about 30 minutes long, with the GJ-11 showing up near the end.
“China has released the first air-to-air video of the drone—and, as far as we know, the first official imagery of any kind showing the real aircraft,” TWZ said of the images. “China also revealed that the official People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) name for the GJ-11 is Mysterious Dragon, alternatively translated as Fantasy Dragon.”
The drone was previously known as the “Sharp Sword,” although it appears China now favors the name Fantasy Dragon. As noted by Flight Global,which cited China’s state-owned Global Times, the video release was meant to mark the 76th anniversary of the PLAAF.
China J-20 Fighter X Screenshot.
The film is called “Far-Reaching Dreams,” according to Interesting Engineering, and it “traces developments in Chinese aviation through the eyes of an ordinary family.”
According to the South China Morning Post, the video represents “the first footage of the country’s crewed and uncrewed aircraft working together.” That outlet also quoted Song Zhongping, a Chinese military commentator and former PLA instructor, who spoke about the capabilities of the weapons.
“The J-20 and GJ-11 are believed to share a datalink, and both are stealth fighters,” Song told the SCMP. “The GJ-11 can be controlled from the ground and can also be linked with the J-20 to extend its firepower.”
Song speculated further about how the weapons could work together.
“The GJ-11 further extends the J-20’s penetration capability, achieving stealth penetration,” Song said. “The J-16D could use electromagnetic interference for supportive suppression. A formation of three aircraft can coordinate with each other, utilizing stealth and electromagnetic suppression to suppress air defenses and radar.”
The SCMP also pointed out that Global Military, an affiliate of Global Times, had noted a change in the tail fins of the GJ-11 since the drone appeared at a military parade.
What Will It Be Used For?
The War Zone pointed out the GJ-11’s long history.
“The GJ-11 entered development more than a decade ago and is widely assessed to be designed to perform both penetrating air-to-surface strike and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions,” but other uses for the drone are possible as well, including “ air-to-air combat and electronic warfare.”
TWZ added that while the video makes it appear the GJ-11 might be in operational service, that might not necessarily be the case yet.
The Flight Global report noted ample uncertainty about the aircraft.
“It is not clear if the aircraft in the video was flown by a ground controller or features a degree of autonomous control,” Flight Global said. “Also unclear is whether the GJ-11 has been inducted into service or is still in testing. It is possible the GJ-11 has entered limited service: in 2024, satellite images showed what appeared to be three GJ-11s on the apron at a Chinese airbase in Tibet.”
What Will Taiwan Do?
In the background of any question about new Chinese military capabilities is what they could mean for a potential war of conquest against Taiwan.
About a week before the GJ-11’s recent cameo, there were reports of Taiwan making a drone move of its own, as reported by Defense Scoop.
A panel hosted by the Center for a New American Security looked at Taiwan’s “unfolding plans to grow its domestic production pipelines for unmanned aerial systems and its military’s adoption of associated, emerging weapons technologies,” which drew upon the lessons of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially Ukraine’s use of drones.
“China now has the dominance of the supply on a lot of different components that are used in drones,” Hong-Lun Tiunn, a nonresident fellow at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology, told Defense Scoop.
“So that is very critical for Taiwan, for us to actually start gradually building up a non-reliant supply chain [and] to basically make sure that—way before the contingency happens—we already have the capacities to manufacture enough and good quality components and drone models that can be integrated into our layered defense strategy,” Tiunn said during the panel discussion.
Another panelist added some context:
“Our best understanding is still that Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership’s calculus around this is conditions-based and that they have been aiming toward a short, sharp, low-cost invasion at acceptable cost,” Ely Ratner, former U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs and current principal at Marathon Initiative, said, according to Defense Scoop.
The panel also considered the lessons Taiwan might learn about drones from Ukraine.
“China has invested very heavily in uncrewed systems of all types, and is also watching what’s going on in Ukraine,” Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director of CNAS’ Defense Program, said, Defense Scoop reported. “I would imagine uncrewed surface vehicles, drone boats, and underwater vehicles playing a larger role, as well as drones with sensors and capabilities to attack ships. The distances are huge, and that is really disadvantageous for the U.S.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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