The Chinese Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan, hull 51, dressed in flags at her launch ceremony at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai

GJ-21 Stealth Drone: China Says It Flew From Type 076 Sichuan

by Max Grünwald | Nov 1, 2026 | Aviación militar, Noticias | 0 comments

China says it has launched a stealthy, jet-powered flying-wing combat drone off an amphibious assault ship and caught it again on the same deck. On Friday 30 October 2026, the People’s Liberation Army announced that its GJ-21 stealth drone had made its first take-off and landing aboard the Type 076 ship Sichuan.

There is a catch, and it matters. As of 1 November, the PLA had released no photo or video of the flights, and had not said when or where they happened, or how many launches and recoveries there were. Everything below about the trial itself is the PLA’s claim, not an independently confirmed fact.

Datos rápidos

Afirmar: GJ-21 stealth drone made its first take-off and landing on the Type 076 Sichuan
Anunciado: 30 October 2026, by the PLA’s China Military Bugle account
Evidence released: None as of 1 November 2026: no photos, video, date, location or sortie count
Zumbido: GJ-21, naval version of the Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword flying wing
Naval features: Folding wings, arrester hook, double nose gear with catapult launch bar
Barco: Sichuan (hull 51), launched 27 December 2024; over 40,000 tonnes per Chinese state media
Sistema de lanzamiento: Electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear
Satellite clue: Ship absent from Shanghai berth between about 17 and 26 October 2026

What the PLA actually said

The announcement came from China Military Bugle, an official PLA media account, in a post on X. It was picked up the same day by Chinese state media and by Western outlets including TWZ, The Aviationist and Aviation Week. Instead of a photo, the post carried an illustration of a flying wing lifting off the ship, watched by a pointing panda.

The full text went further than a test report. The PLA presented the trial as proof of a new operational capability for its navy.

“China’s first ship-borne stealth reconnaissance and attack drone ‘GJ-21’ recently made its first successful take-off and landing on 076 amphibious assault ship, the ‘Sichuan’ (Hull 51). This is another significant breakthrough in the development of China’s amphibious assault ship, indicating that the Chinese Navy now has the capability to operate fixed-wing stealth drones from large maritime combat platforms.”

China Military Bugle — Official PLA media account, post on X, 30 October 2026

That is a big claim for a single, undated, unphotographed event. What can be checked is the ship’s movements. TWZ reviewed Planet Labs satellite imagery showing Sichuan at her usual berth at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai on 13 October, gone four days later, and apparently not back until 26 October. Where she went is unknown, but the gap fits a sea sortie in the weeks before the announcement.

GJ-21: a Sharp Sword for the sea

The GJ-21 is the naval version of the land-based Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword, a tailless flying wing with two internal weapons bays, a single turbofan and a wingspan of about 14 metres. The GJ-11 first flew in 2013 and is now believed to be in at least limited service with the People’s Liberation Army.

A grey GJ-11 Sharp Sword tailless flying-wing combat drone on display outdoors at the Beijing Exhibition Center — The land-based GJ-11 Sharp Sword on display at the Beijing Exhibition Center in October 2022. The naval GJ-21 is derived from it. Photo: 颐园居 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Going to sea means extra hardware. The GJ-21 has folding wings, an arrester hook and a double nose gear with a catapult launch bar, which is the easiest way to tell it from the GJ-11 in photos. Two GJ-21s appeared in public at the Victory Day parade in Beijing in September 2025.

A grey GJ-21 flying-wing naval combat drone carried on a vehicle at the September 2025 Victory Day parade in Beijing — A GJ-21 naval combat drone on a transporter at the Victory Day parade in Beijing on 3 September 2025. This is the type the PLA says flew from *Sichuan*. Image: China News Service video frame / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

“Two GJ-21 aircraft were displayed at the victory parade in September 2025, reportedly having entered PLAN service in mid-2025. By late 2025, several GJ-21 aircraft were reportedly undergoing simulated EMALS launches and arrested landings at the PLAN’s land-based facility at Huangdicun.”

Andreas Rupprecht — Chinese military aviation expert and TWZ contributor, quoted by TWZ, 30 October 2026

A catapult on an amphibious ship

Sichuan, hull number 51, is what makes this unusual. She was launched at Hudong-Zhonghua on 27 December 2024, and Chinese state media put her displacement at more than 40,000 tonnes. Most big-deck amphibious ships launch fixed-wing jets, if at all, by short take-off. The Type 076 is the first amphibious assault ship designed with an electromagnetic catapult, plus arresting gear on the aft deck.

The build-up has been visible for a year. A weighted test cart appeared on her deck in October 2025, the start of catapult testing, and she first went to sea in November 2025. In February 2026, a GJ-21 mock-up was seen on deck with its wings folded and riding an elevator down to the hangar. Satellite imagery later showed fittings for three arresting cables.

Official China Military Bugle footage of Sichuan on her first sea trial in November 2025.

Why it matters, if confirmed

Other navies have flown drones from ships. Turkey launches the propeller-driven Bayraktar TB3 from the ski-jump of TCG Anadolu, and the US Navy proved catapult launches and arrested landings with the X-47B demonstrator more than a decade ago, then never fielded it. A stealthy jet combat drone operating routinely from an amphibious ship would be new.

For the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force, it would turn a ship built to land marines into a small drone carrier, able to put stealthy strike and reconnaissance aircraft to sea without risking a pilot. The GJ-21 may also go aboard China’s conventional carriers in future.

For now, the evidence is a PLA post, a cartoon panda and a gap in the satellite record. Until a photo or video appears, the first catapult-launched stealth drone on an amphibious ship remains something Beijing says happened.

Sources: China Military Bugle (PLA), The War Zone, The Aviationist, Aviation Week, Planet Labs imagery via TWZ, Wikipedia (Type 076 landing helicopter dock; Hongdu GJ-11)

Preguntas frecuentes

Did the GJ-21 really take off from the Sichuan?

The PLA says so. On 30 October 2026 its China Military Bugle account announced that the GJ-21 had made its first take-off and landing on the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan. As of 1 November no photos, video, date, location or number of sorties had been released, so the claim is unconfirmed.

What is the GJ-21 drone?

The GJ-21 is China’s naval stealth combat drone, a version of the land-based Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword flying wing. It adds folding wings, an arrester hook and a double nose gear with a catapult launch bar. Two GJ-21s were shown at the Victory Day parade in Beijing in September 2025.

What is the difference between the GJ-11 and the GJ-21?

The GJ-11 Sharp Sword is a land-based tailless flying-wing combat drone with two internal weapons bays and a single turbofan. The GJ-21 is its naval derivative, fitted for catapult launch and arrested landing at sea, with folding wings, an arrester hook and a catapult bar on its nose gear.

What is the Type 076 Sichuan?

Sichuan, hull number 51, is the first Type 076 amphibious assault ship of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Launched in Shanghai on 27 December 2024, it displaces more than 40,000 tonnes according to Chinese state media and is the first amphibious assault ship designed with an electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear.

Why does the Type 076 have an electromagnetic catapult?

The electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear let the Type 076 launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft such as the GJ-21 drone, which most amphibious assault ships cannot do. That makes Sichuan both a landing ship for helicopters and amphibious vehicles and a small drone carrier.

Is there satellite evidence of the GJ-21 trial on Sichuan?

Only indirect evidence. Planet Labs imagery reviewed by TWZ showed Sichuan at its Shanghai berth on 13 October 2026, gone four days later, and apparently back by 26 October. That fits a sea sortie, but no image shows a GJ-21 flying from the ship.