Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Hongdu GJ-11
Type of aircraft From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
The Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword (Chinese: 攻击-11 利剑; pinyin: gongji-11 lì jiàn) is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed in the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army. It was designed by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (SYADI) and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), and is part of seven proposed models by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) program called "AVIC 601-S".[3][4][5] The GJ-11 can perform precision strike and aerial reconnaissance missions.[4][6]
Remove ads
Design
The GJ-11 uses a tailless flying wing design[4] with two internal weapons bays.[7][4] Stealth features include the shaping of the rear airframe around the engine exhaust[6] and serrated weapon bay doors.[7] The aircraft is powered by a single turbofan engine of unknown type, and the overall wingspan is 14 meters.[8]
Development
Early versions were less stealthy with an exposed engine nozzle.[9]
Images of the aircraft's 20 minute long maiden flight appeared on the internet on November 21st 2013, where the "Sharp Sword" took off from HAIG airfield.[10][5]
In October 2021, AVIC showcased the GJ-11 at Airshow China. The drone is reportedly capable of taking off autonomously from Type 076 amphibious assault ships. The stealthy drone could deploy swarming air-launched decoys or electronic warfare systems, in addition to launching precision-guided munitions.[11][12]
In October 2022, Chinese media showcased the computer-generated concepts of three GJ-11 being controlled by a two-seat variant of the Chengdu J-20 fighter jet, akin to the Loyal Wingman program of the United States.[13]
Remove ads
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 12.2[7] m (40 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 14.4[7] m (47 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.7[7] m (8 ft 10 in)
- Powerplant: 1 × unnamed Guizhou-built[14] turbofan
Performance
Armament
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads