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Chinese GJ-21 stealth drone completes first takeoff from Type 076 ship

Bottom line

China's GJ-21 stealth reconnaissance and strike drone has completed its first takeoff and landing aboard the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan. This marks a significant milestone in China's development of unmanned carrier operations.

Why it matters

The operational integration of the GJ-21 on the Type 076 signifies a major leap in Chinese naval aviation, potentially challenging US carrier dominance in the Pacific by enabling large-scale unmanned strike packages from amphibious platforms.

Chinese state media and OSINT reports confirm that the GJ-21, a stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), successfully performed its first takeoff and landing operations on the Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan. The Type 076 is designed to operate a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft, and the successful integration of the GJ-21 demonstrates China’s progress in developing carrier-based drone capabilities. This development enhances the PLA Navy’s ability to project power and conduct reconnaissance and strike missions without risking manned aircraft.

Pictures from the cited posts

Evidence — 1 independent origin

  • Telegram channel:OSINTdefendersource Borigin t.me
    Original text (excerpt)

    #China China's GJ-21 stealth reconnaissance and strike drone has successfully completed its first takeoff and landing aboard the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan. Subscribe to @OSINTdefender Chat room

NamedGJ-21Type 076Topicschinadrones

Related findings

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History · version 1 · first published · last substantive update

Cite this finding
Robot War (2026). Chinese GJ-21 stealth drone completes first takeoff from Type 076 ship. Hetzner OSINT, 1 November 2026. https://robotwar.io/osint-hetzner/2026-11-01--chinese-gj-21-stealth-drone-completes-first-takeoff-from-type-076-ship/

@misc{robotwar-2026-11-01--chinese-gj-21-stealth-drone-completes-first-takeoff-from-type-076-ship,
  title = {Chinese GJ-21 stealth drone completes first takeoff from Type 076 ship},
  author = {Robot War},
  howpublished = {\url{https://robotwar.io/osint-hetzner/2026-11-01--chinese-gj-21-stealth-drone-completes-first-takeoff-from-type-076-ship/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Hetzner OSINT finding B3}
}

Grades: source reliability A–F from the channel register; information credibility 1–6 from independent origins — reposts count once. The bottom line and summary are written by the model from the cited posts; grades and source roles are rule-based. Methodology 2026-10-18.v7 · Corrections · JSON · RSS · API performance

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