Engineering:Hongdu GJ-11
| GJ-11 Sharp Sword | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mock-up of GJ-11 displayed at Airshow China in 2021 | |
| Role | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle |
| National origin | People's Republic of China |
| Manufacturer | Hongdu Aviation Industry Group |
| Designer | Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute Hongdu Aviation Industry Group |
| First flight | 2013 |
| Status | In testing and evaluation[1]
Serial production planned for 2022[2] |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army Air Force |
The Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword (Chinese: 攻击-11 利剑; pinyin: gongji-11 lì jiàn) is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed in the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army. It was designed by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG),[3] with the latter being the manufacturer.[4] The GJ-11 can perform precision strike and aerial reconnaissance missions.[3][5]
Design
The GJ-11 is a tailless flying wing[3] with two internal weapons bays.[6][3] Stealth features include the shaping of the rear airframe around the engine exhaust[5] and serrated weapon bay doors.[6] The aircraft is powered by a single turbofan engine of an unknown type, and the overall wingspan is 14 meters.[7]
Development
Early versions were less stealthy with an exposed engine nozzle.[8]
Images of the aircraft's first flight appeared on the internet in November 2013.[4]
In October 2021, Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) showcased the GJ-11 at Airshow China. The drone is reportedly capable of taking off autonomously from Type 075 amphibious assault ships. The stealthy drone could deploy swarming air-launched decoys or electronic warfare systems, in addition to launching precision-guided munitions.[9][10]
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.[11]
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 12.2[6] m (40 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 14.4[6] m (47 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.7[6] m (8 ft 10 in)
- Powerplant: 1 × unnamed Guizhou-built[12] turbofan
Performance
Armament
References
- ↑ Thompson, Drew (7 June 2021) (in en). Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2021. Routledge. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-000-47449-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=xvAxEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT242.
- ↑ Thompson 2021, p. 244.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Wood, Peter; Cliff, Roger (November 2020). Chinese Airborne C4ISR. United States Department of the Air Force China Aerospace Studies Institute. p. 21. ISBN 9798583085569. https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/Display/Article/2450727/chinese-airborne-c4isr/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Axe, David (21 November 2013). "Now China's Got a Stealthy Killer Drone". war-is-boring. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/1766036badc0.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Williams, Ian; Dahlgren, Masao (16 October 2019). More Than Missiles: China Previews its New Way of War. https://www.csis.org/analysis/more-missiles-china-previews-its-new-way-war. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "歼20性能数据首次披露：最大飞行速度2马赫" (in Chinese). 2021-09-28. http://www.xinhuanet.com/mil/2021-09/28/c_1211385667.htm.
- ↑ "GJ-11 UAV displayed on Chinese National Day". 3 October 2022. https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2022-news-aviation-aerospace/october/8729-gj-11-uav-displayed-on-chinese-national-day.html.
- ↑ Trimble, Stephen (21 May 2013). "New tailless UAV design proclaims Chinese ambition". Gale General OneFile. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A331227107/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=ebsco&xid=da3bf0a9.
- ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (11 October 2021). "Chinese Flying Wing Drones Launch Swarming Decoys At Enemy Warships In Industry Video". https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42694/chinese-flying-wing-drones-launch-swarming-decoys-at-enemy-warships-in-industry-video.
- ↑ Paleja, Ameya (11 October 2021). "China Unveils Long-Range GJ-11 Drones That Can Launch Decoys At Enemy Warships". https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-unveils-long-range-gj-11-drones-that-can-launch-decoys-at-enemy-warships.
- ↑ Meier, Ricardo (12 October 2022). "Chinese two-seat J-20 fighter jet controlling three GJ-11 stealth drones". https://www.airdatanews.com/chinese-two-seat-j-20-fighter-jet-controlling-three-gj-11-stealth-drones/.
- ↑ "航空报国酬壮志 长天映照赤子心——记贵州航空发动机研究所副总设计师韩冬". 中工网. 2015-04-27. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923060631/http://gz.workercn.cn/23345/201504/27/150427112947712.shtml.
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