{"id":30645916,"date":"2026-11-01T10:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T09:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/gj-21-stealth-drone-type-076-sichuan-first-takeoff-landing-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T10:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T09:34:45","slug":"gj-21-stealth-drone-type-076-sichuan-first-takeoff-landing-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/gj-21-stealth-drone-type-076-sichuan-first-takeoff-landing-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"GJ-21 Stealth Drone: China Says It Flew From Type 076 Sichuan"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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On Friday 30 October 2026, the People&rsquo;s Liberation Army announced that its GJ-21 stealth drone had made its first take-off and landing aboard the Type 076 ship <em>Sichuan<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>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&rsquo;s claim, not an independently confirmed fact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Claim:<\/strong> GJ-21 stealth drone made its first take-off and landing on the Type 076 <em>Sichuan<\/em><\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Announced:<\/strong> 30 October 2026, by the PLA&rsquo;s China Military Bugle account<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Evidence released:<\/strong> None as of 1 November 2026: no photos, video, date, location or sortie count<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Drone:<\/strong> GJ-21, naval version of the Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword flying wing<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Naval features:<\/strong> Folding wings, arrester hook, double nose gear with catapult launch bar<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Ship:<\/strong> <em>Sichuan<\/em> (hull 51), launched 27 December 2024; over 40,000 tonnes per Chinese state media<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Launch system:<\/strong> Electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Satellite clue:<\/strong> Ship absent from Shanghai berth between about 17 and 26 October 2026<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the PLA actually said<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2116104881861779738&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:760px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The full text went further than a test report. The PLA presented the trial as proof of a new operational capability for its navy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;China&rsquo;s first ship-borne stealth reconnaissance and attack drone &lsquo;GJ-21&rsquo; recently made its first successful take-off and landing on 076 amphibious assault ship, the &lsquo;Sichuan&rsquo; (Hull 51). This is another significant breakthrough in the development of China&rsquo;s amphibious assault ship, indicating that the Chinese Navy now has the capability to operate fixed-wing stealth drones from large maritime combat platforms.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>China Military Bugle<\/strong> &mdash; Official PLA media account, post on X, 30 October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That is a big claim for a single, undated, unphotographed event. What can be checked is the ship&rsquo;s movements. TWZ reviewed Planet Labs satellite imagery showing <em>Sichuan<\/em> 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">GJ-21: a Sharp Sword for the sea<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>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&rsquo;s Liberation Army.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/gj-11-sharp-sword-ucav-beijing-exhibition-2022.jpg\" alt=\"A grey GJ-11 Sharp Sword tailless flying-wing combat drone on display outdoors at the Beijing Exhibition Center\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">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: \u9890\u56ed\u5c45 \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/gj-21-naval-ucav-beijing-victory-day-parade-2025.jpg\" alt=\"A grey GJ-21 flying-wing naval combat drone carried on a vehicle at the September 2025 Victory Day parade in Beijing\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">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 <em>Sichuan<\/em>. Image: China News Service video frame \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;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&rsquo;s land-based facility at Huangdicun.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Andreas Rupprecht<\/strong> &mdash; Chinese military aviation expert and TWZ contributor, quoted by TWZ, 30 October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A catapult on an amphibious ship<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sichuan<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2017887784803950869&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:620px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WXoc27r22iY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Official China Military Bugle footage of <em>Sichuan<\/em> on her first sea trial in November 2025.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why it matters, if confirmed<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Other navies have flown drones from ships. Turkey launches the propeller-driven <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/bayraktar-tb3\/\">Bayraktar TB3<\/a> from the ski-jump of TCG <em>Anadolu<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>For the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/peoples-liberation-army-naval-air-force\/\">People&rsquo;s Liberation Army Naval Air Force<\/a>, 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&rsquo;s conventional carriers in future.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>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)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Did the GJ-21 really take off from the Sichuan?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">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.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the GJ-21 drone?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The GJ-21 is China&rsquo;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.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the difference between the GJ-11 and the GJ-21?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">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.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Type 076 Sichuan?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Sichuan, hull number 51, is the first Type 076 amphibious assault ship of the People&rsquo;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.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why does the Type 076 have an electromagnetic catapult?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">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.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is there satellite evidence of the GJ-21 trial on Sichuan?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">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.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the GJ-21 really take off from the Sichuan?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"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. 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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.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Type 076 Sichuan?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Sichuan, hull number 51, is the first Type 076 amphibious assault ship of the People\u2019s 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.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why does the Type 076 have an electromagnetic catapult?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"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. 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That fits a sea sortie, but no image shows a GJ-21 flying from the ship.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/navy-cca-rfi-carrier-combat-drone-x-47b-ucav-2026\/\">Navy CCA RFI: The Service Wants Its X-47B Combat Drone Back<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/china-fujian-carrier-south-china-sea-us-carrier-rotation\/\">Fujian Moves In as a US Carrier Moves Out<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/china-j-15-fujian-carrier-training-2026\/\">China Drills a Deck Crew for Its Newest Carrier<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/general-atomics-nextgen-hybrid-electric-flying-wing-gambit-4-2026\/\">General Atomics NextGen: Hybrid-Electric Flying Wing Revealed<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The PLA said on 30 October 2026 that its GJ-21 stealth flying-wing drone made its first take-off and landing on the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan. No photos or video have been released.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":30645825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30645916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GJ-21 Stealth Drone Flew From Type 076, China Says | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The PLA says its GJ-21 stealth drone made its first take-off and landing on the Type 076 ship Sichuan, announced 30 October 2026. 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