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China’s GJ-21 And J-J 2 Complete First Takeoff And Landing Aboard CNS Sichuan
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GJ-21 drone conducted first takeoff and arrested recovery from CNS Sichuan. CNS Sichuan is China’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship enabling ship-borne drones.
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First drone operations
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that theJ-J 2 uncrewed stealth aircraft completed its first takeoff and landing aboard the ship Sichuan, with the test described as an “achievement” in China’s amphibious ship program. The People’s Liberation Army Navy said the GJ-21, described as China’s first carrier-borne stealth combat drone, conducted its first takeoffs and arrested recoveries aboard the CNS Sichuan, marking “a major breakthrough in the development of China's amphibious assault ships.” Xinhua linked the milestone to Beijing’s efforts to integrate drone technology into its long-term military modernization program, and it said the test demonstrated the navy’s ability to operate fixed-wing stealth drones from large maritime platforms.
Zhang Xiuefeng said the J-J 2 has a long combat radius despite its small hull size relative to the stealth fighters J-35 and J-20, and Zhang said the J-J 2 missile is low-cost and reusable. China Central Television reported that the locally developed ship conducted successive sea trials in late October without disclosing the locations of these trials, while the Chinese navy previously said the Sichuan’s deployment to the South China Sea for scientific tests and training missions did not target any entity.
Catapult drone carrier
The People’s Liberation Army Navy said the milestone confirmed the Navy’s capability to operate fixed-wing stealth unmanned aircraft from large seaborne combat platforms, and it framed the operations as a landmark advance in the global evolution of amphibious assault ships. The China Daily account said the test made China “the first nation in the world to achieve catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested recovery of a fixed-wing aircraft from an amphibious assault vessel,” contrasting it with the short takeoff and vertical landing mode used by F-35B and AV-8B. The Type 076 amphibious assault ship has become the world’s first catapult-enabled drone carrier, and Song Zhongping said the GJ-21 “cannot take off on its own from a conventional ship deck and must rely on a catapult system like the one on the Type 076.”
The Aviationist noted that neither the state press nor the military released any official image or video of the actual flight operations, even as it said state media and the military publicized the GJ-21 takeoff and landing from the Sichuan. The Aviationist also said the official China Military Bugle account emphasized the PLA Navy’s “capability to operate fixed wing stealth drones from maritime combat platforms,” and it added that the statement described the Sichuan as incorporating electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landing technology.
What comes next
The Type 076 would continue compatibility tests for multiple types of UAVs in follow-up work, and it described the Sichuan as a testbed for cutting-edge technologies. Song Zhongping told Global Times that the GJ-21 program had advanced steadily and that the Type 076 could serve as a platform for manned-unmanned teaming, while he also said the Type 076 could temporarily accommodate manned fighter jets later to test catapult launch and arrested landing procedures. The Sichuan is the first ship in the Type 076 class intended for amphibious assault operations, and it described the ship as having a flight deck spanning the length of the ship and a superstructure consisting of two separate islands.
The Sichuan, bearing hull number 51, was developed by the Marine Design and Research Institute of China and constructed at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, and it said the ship was officially unveiled and named in December 2024. The Aviationist said the GJ-21 has so far been associated with the Type 076, while it also reported that future operations from conventional aircraft carriers have been suggested, including speculation about the drone eventually operating from Fujian.