According to Drive , recent satellite photos of a model of a Chinese aircraft carrier in Wuhan city show that Beijing will likely equip the ship with an unmanned attack aircraft (UAV) GJ-11 Sharp Sword. Fujian airport.
Also according to the above satellite photo, on the aircraft carrier model there are also other fighter aircraft such as the J-15 ship-based fighter and the J-35 stealth fighter.
If China equips all three of the above aircraft types to Fujian at the same time, this will be a big step forward for the country’s navy. Because even though the US owns a powerful nuclear aircraft carrier fleet, it still does not have a trio of aircraft like China on the carrier.
Model aircraft carrier in Wuhan with test aircraft, including a UAV similar in design to the GJ-11.
China’s aircraft carrier model is used to evaluate the ability of aircraft to operate at sea, including how they will move on the carrier deck. Work related to radio emissions and other testing is also performed at this facility.
It seems that the appearance of a plane on a mock-up aircraft carrier in Wuhan is a precursor to its progress to the test flight phase before finally boarding a real aircraft carrier in due course. .
Although the aircraft carrier model has undergone a number of changes and upgrades, it is now understood to be modeled after the Fujian – the Chinese navy’s newest aircraft carrier and the first in its class.
A special feature is that Fujian will be equipped with an aircraft catapult that will allow aircraft such as the J-35 and GJ-11 to operate from it with a suitable total weight, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft can fly from this ship. Catapult testing on the Fujian aircraft carrier was also launched in early December 2023.
The connection between GJ-11 and Fujian was rumored in the past when this UAV conducted sea tests in 2019. Chinese media then also reported that this UAV would operate on ships. this country’s airport in a reconnaissance role.
UAV GJ-11 was introduced during a Chinese military parade.
The Chinese navy has also previously begun testing much smaller drones on aircraft carriers that do not require catapults and arrestors. Multiple examples of at least two different types or commercial versions of commercial drones capable of vertical takeoff and landing have been operated from the deck of China’s Shandong aircraft carrier.
However, taking full advantage of the naval GJ-11 or a similar design would require a catapult-equipped large-deck aircraft carrier like the Fujian in the future. There has been some discussion about China wanting to operate stealth drones from the Type 075 – the country’s advanced amphibious assault ship class, but there is still no clear information.
A naval version of the GJ-11 could bring powerful new capabilities to China’s future carrier air force, not least in terms of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. ) unarmed but also in terms of offensive and electronic capabilities.
The ISR-configured GJ-11 will extend sensor reach and enhance the awareness and lethality of the carrier strike group. Its stealth feature will also allow it to get closer to targets. Meanwhile, several of them can work together to relay information (including data about attack targets) through internal data links.
China’s Fujian aircraft carrier is in the final stages of completion. It can be seen that this ship is equipped with up to three aircraft catapults.
Having a stealthy carrier-based drone has the ability to reach high-priority targets – especially US Navy carrier strike groups and other allied ships. and providing near real-time targeting data would be a major boost to China’s anti-access strategy.
In such a scenario, the carrier-based GJ-11 could provide targeting data for both anti-ship ballistic missiles and long-range anti-ship cruise missiles as well as manned attack aircraft.
However, what is important to the Chinese military now is how a UAV like the GJ-11 can enable the development and refinement of a completely new concept of semi-autonomous drone operations. movement on an aircraft carrier.
In the past, China has demonstrated that it is very advanced in a number of drone-related technologies. Integrating stealth drones into a carrier fleet will require a new carrier design, with an entirely new set of takeoff and recovery requirements, which will be no small challenge. But if China succeeds, it is likely that any efforts at the revolutionary capabilities it may bring will be worth it, while also paving the way for more advanced forms of maritime warfare in the future.
