The GJ-21 is taken into account a naval by-product of the GJ-11 Collaborative Fight Plane, as demonstrated by options reminiscent of launch bar and arrestor hook, meant to fly off the Kind 076 Sichuan LHD.
A brand new unofficial image of China’s GJ-21 naval Unmanned Fight Aerial Car (UCAV) emerged on Apr. 30, 2026, exhibiting the plane with its touchdown gear prolonged. It’s unclear when and the place the photograph was captured.
It was beforehand assessed that the unmanned plane, a naval variant of the GJ-11, is supposed to fly off the Kind 076 Touchdown Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship. A November 2025 picture confirmed a backside view of the plane with the touchdown gear and an arrestor hook prolonged.
A mockup of the plane additionally emerged on the Kind 076 late in January 2026 on the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. The huge vessel examined its Electromagnetic Launch System (EMALS)-configured catapult launch system in October 2025, positioned on the port-side portion of the deck.
The Folks’s Liberation Military Navy (PLAN) reported on Apr. 21 that the Kind 076 is continuing on its eight spherical of sea trials from Shanghai. It’s subsequently not clear if the picture has been taken at a unique location the place testing of China’s CCAs is ongoing or whereas it’s making ready to land on the Kind 076 Sichuan, though the latter appears unlikely.
GJ-21 pic.twitter.com/goPxOFV6df
— お砂糖wsnbn (@sugar_wsnbn) April 30, 2026
The service’s official web page stated on X: “Lately, China’s 1st Kind 076 amphibious assault ship PLANS Sichuan departed from Shanghai to waters within the South China Sea to conduct scientific analysis, testing and coaching duties, to judge the operational efficiency of its methods and platforms. Since its launch, PLANS Sichuan has efficiently accomplished a number of sea trials. This routine trans-area testing and coaching is carried out in accordance with the general building plan and isn’t directed at any particular goal.”
The Kind 076 amphibious assault ship PLANS Sichuan (Hull 51) hooked up to the Chinese language PLA Navy just lately carried out scientific analysis, testing and coaching duties within the South China Sea to judge the operational efficiency of its numerous methods and platforms.
Since its launch,… pic.twitter.com/rVVyDXzzC4
— China Army Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) April 21, 2026
Newest picture
The newest picture basically reveals a rear angle that additionally captured a big facet facet of the GJ-21. In actual fact, whereas we don’t see the arrestor hook right here, we do see the catapult launch bar on the nostril touchdown gear.
The faint outlines of a flight-data probe on the nostril can be noticed, whereas the starboard (right-side) wing reveals break up management surfaces on the trailing edge. Different options that additionally assist affirm the drone’s identification because the GJ-21 is the shrouded exhaust – seen within the PLA Air Pressure’s GJ-11 that the service confirmed flying with J-20s in November 2025.
Chinese language army aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht had beforehand informed The Aviationist that the GJ-21 could possibly be described because the naval model of the GJ-11. “It was beforehand designated, throughout the OSINT group, because the GJ-11H and later GJ-11J,” he informed us.
Because it appears, for the primary time clear photos of a GJ-21 in flight are posted and this one – primarily based on the nonetheless put in pitots – has its tail hook down. pic.twitter.com/5h1nVZHzIe
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) November 1, 2025
The big dorsal hump housing the air consumption can also be seen clearly. This characteristic has been constant within the mock-ups and renditions of all of the GJ-11s seen to date. The GJ-11 plane was first formally unveiled within the October 2019 parade. It was later depicted flying with the J-20 in a 2022 idea video on CCTV 7, and mock-ups of the GJ-11J/GJ-21 earlier than and throughout the Sep. 3, 2025, parade.
We to date haven’t any picture on the GJ-11J/GJ-21’s inner weapons bays, which could give an thought of its function when flying from the Sichuan and as a wingman drone to the J-20 – whether or not as an offboard sensor, or offboard weapons launch, or each. For the Sichuan, we’ve assessed that it could possibly be meant to supply an natural ISR-strike functionality to help amphibious troop and armor landings on Taiwanese seashores, with out having to depend on the remainder of the PLA Navy floor combatant and PLAAF property.
That is unusual & fascinating🤔 … This GJ-21 – because it appears seen right here throughout the rehearsals for the parade – has clearly significantly better seen Chinese language Navy markings & titles together with the “21”.So has it been repainted simply previous to the parade?
(by way of @齐天的孙猴子) pic.twitter.com/kAXPMwy0uo
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) October 3, 2025
The drone may be laying the groundwork for unmanned methods to be operated from the CNS Fujian sooner or later, whereas additionally providing an uncrewed high-loiter time aerial asset for a PLAN strike group.
Apparently the 076 LHD-51 Sichuan is out for her third sea trials immediately. pic.twitter.com/jPAVXejq1M
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 20, 2026
New CCA/UCAV
Apr. 11 additionally noticed new footage of a but unknown CCA or UCAV rising from China. The plane is captured in a grainy side-aspect video from an individual on the bottom, and seems to have a cranked-kite kind wing configuration and break up trailing edge management surfaces.
The plane seems to be in contrast to any of the identified and unknown flying-wing kind plane we’ve reported to date. It may additionally very nicely be a manned system for all we all know.
Properly! One other day in China and one other drone / CCA / UCAV noticed? 🤔
Through pic.twitter.com/L9Qh0lwFax
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 11, 2026
As we’ve famous in our earlier studies about China’s next-generation J-36 and J-XDS plane, the periodic emergence of recent plane in unofficial movies can’t occur with out the sanction of Chinese language authorities. The leaks have a propaganda worth to show Chinese language industrial and technological progress, whereas additionally protecting the adversary intelligence group engaged with monitoring these plane.
