China Deploys World’s First Unmanned Fighter Squadron: GJ-11 Stealth Jets Activated in Tibet

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force has made its first known deployment of GJ-11 Sharp Sword unmanned stealth fighters, which are stationed at Shigatse Air Base in Tibet, marking the first operationalisation of an unmanned fighter squadron by any country in the world. Confirmation by satellite footage of the operationalisation of the world’s first known unmanned fighter squadron marks a major landmark in the Chinese defence sector’s rapid development of new unmanned aircraft. It occurs at a time when the country is also poised tolead the worldby a margin of several years in operationalising the world’s first sixth generation fighter aircraft, achieving a newfound degree of leadership in the field of combat aviation more broadly.

Prototypes of the GJ-11 have been seen with growing frequency since 2018, with the unmanned aircraft expected to be semi-autonomous and eventually be able to operate with full autonomy. Footage from Chinese state media outlet CCTV released in 2022 indicated that the aircraft may be intended to be commanded by twin seat J-20 fighters for some operations.The GJ-1q uses a tailless flying wing design similar to that of the American B-21 bomber to maximise stealth, although such aircraft have limited speeds and levels of manoeuvrability. Although confirmed to house a large internal weapons bay, GJ-11’s armaments remain uncertain, with some sources speculating that the aircraft could carry PL-15 and possibly even PL-XX air-to-air missiles to facilitate long range engagements. Carriage of cruise and anti-radiation missiles is also considered likely.

Unmanned fighters are expected to have lifetime costs a fraction of those of their manned counterparts, as requirements for training flights are only a fraction of those of manned aircraft which reduces sustainment costs significantly. The lack of a pilot also allows for a more efficient overall design. The lack of sensors capable of replicating the human eye, however, and remaining limitations in the capabilities of artificial intelligence, currently still limit the ability of unmanned aircraft to replace their manned counterparts in most combat roles. The GJ-11 is one of several unmanned fighters confirmed to be under development, with work currently ongoing on more ambitious programs to develop more manoeuvrable aircraft with higher levels of autonomy, such as the Dark Sword fighter.