China shows a formation of collaborative combat aircraft in flight for the first time (Video)

China shows a formation of collaborative combat aircraft in flight for the first time (Video)

Every November 11, China commemorates the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. This Tuesday, date of 76ththe Air Force has published a video that reviews the evolution of Chinese aviation and in which, for the first time, it shows a GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealth drone flying in formation with a J-20 stealth fighter and a J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. The images, broadcast on state television CCTV, illustrate the growing capacity for cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft of the Chinese military.

The video shows a GJ-11 stealth attack drone leaving its hangar and joining a J-20 and a J-16D in flight, apparently acting as an autonomous component of the aircraft formation.

CCTV described the sequence as the first public display of cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft of the Chinese Air Forceand indicated that the images probably come from training exercises.

As reported by the Global Times, Chinese military commentators see this combination as a logical alliance for modern strike operations, in which the electronic warfarehe stealth and the unmanned systems combine to nullify and penetrate enemy air defenses.

It is the same concept that is developing USA with the military program CCA (Collaborative combat aircraft) by which combat drones will act alongside fighters such as the F-35 or the NGADwith reconnaissance, electronic warfare or attack functions. Other actors like Australia, Russia or Europe develop similar initiatives.

‘He J-16D can jam and paralyze hostile radars, while the J-20 and the GJ-11taking advantage of their stealth capabilities, can penetrate defense lines and destroy key targets. The GJ-11 could act as an extension of the manned aircraft, entering high-risk areas‘, the military affairs expert told the media Song Zhongping.

Wang Ya’naneditor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, tells the Global Times that the GJ-11 could fly ahead of manned fighters to perform armed reconnaissance or act as a ‘loyal wing’ to protect them. Both analysts agree that the images reflect certain degree of maturity in China’s efforts to integrate drones, fighters and support aircraft into coordinated teams.

GJ-11, the first stealth drone capable of taking off from an aircraft carrier

The protagonist of the video is the GJ-11 stealth drone, seen rarely since the first time in 2019. Also known as Sharp Sword, Espada Afilada in Spanish. It is a flying wing drone with 10 meters in length, wingspan of almost 14 metersinternal weapons bay and a design designed to reduce its radar signature. It has been shown with visible folding hingesa detail that would facilitate its storage on board ships.

According to what the South China Morning Post published last September, it is the world’s first embarked stealth dronecapable of taking off from both the amphibious assault ship Type 076 Sichuan like from the aircraft carrier Fujian which has just entered service. Although the Chinese authorities have not published official specifications, its autonomy is estimated at about 1,500 kilometers.

Analysts maintain that the combination of the GJ-11, the J-20 and the J-16D would allow China to apply different layers of combat in contested airspace: electronic warfare and defense suppression from the J-16D, stealth penetration with the J-20 and long-duration attacks or surveillance using the GJ-11.