REVEALED: China’s stealth drone can ‘seize air superiority’
China has lifted the secrecy around its new GJ-11 stealth drone, in what some believe is a blatant attempt to flex its military muscle amid tensions with the west.
The aircraft, known as the ‘Sharp Sword’, went on display during an expo in Beijing as part of festivities for the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.
Images obtained by Asia Markets show what appears to be a clone of the United States’ surveillance drone known as the The Lockheed Martin RQ–170 Sentinel.
However, according to Chinese state media, the GJ-11 is “capable of conducting missions to seize air superiority.”
“(The drone) has high stealth, high penetration and precision strike capabilities,” reported China Central Television (CCTV).
Another state publication, the Global Times, said the stealth aircraft can “conduct precision strike missions on enemy airfields and bases”.
“In this way, the enemy will have to give up air superiority since they have no aircraft in the air in the first place,” the report said.
Last year, a scale model of the GJ-11 appeared at Airshow China 2021.
According to The Debrief, it featured two open internal weapon bays exposing four precision-guided munitions in each.
“Based on the scale model, it is speculated that the GJ-11 could be capable of carrying up to eight Feiteng-5 (FT-5) 220-pound precision-guided air-to-ground missiles or two Feiteng-2 (FT-2) 1,110-pound satellite-guided bombs,” the report said.
There are some defence analysts, however, who believe the United States is more advanced in its development of stealth combat drones.
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