China successfully tests stealth drone takeoff, landing from warship

China said Friday it had successfully conducted the first takeoff and landing of a stealth drone from a warship fitted with an electromagnetic catapult, state media reported.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Gongji-21 (GJ-21), “capable of both reconnaissance and strike recently made its first successful take-off and landing on the Sichuan, the country's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship,” Xinhua News reported.

It is the Chinese military’s first carrier-borne stealth drone with reconnaissance and strike capabilities.

The Sichuan warship was launched in 2024 and was recently on a sea voyage when the tests were conducted.

“This marks another breakthrough in the development of my country's amphibious assault ships, signifying that the Chinese Navy possesses the capability to launch and land fixed-wing stealth UAVs on large maritime combat platforms,” it added.

The domestically built warship uses a fully automated landing guidance system, a new integrated power system, an electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear.

“It can carry fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and amphibious equipment,” the report added.

This is the first Chinese warship fitted with an electromagnetic catapult.

The GJ-21 drone is a large, tailless subsonic aircraft powered by a turbofan engine.

According to open sources, the launch bar allows the GJ-21 drone to be accelerated by the electromagnetic catapult, while its arresting hook allows it to be recovered using the warship’s arresting wires.

The drone’s folding wings also make it easier to store and move around the carrier deck.