China Parades New Armed Stealthy Attack Drone

Video Above: Northrop Grumman& Eastern Shipbuilding Group Build New Weapons into The New Coast Guard OffShore Patrol Cutter

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) The Chinese have armed a newly introduced stealthy attack drone which may now be operational, bringing an as-of-yet seemingly unprecedented stealthy dual-mode surveillance-strike synergy to the People’s Liberation Army – Air Force.

The Gongi-11 drone, reported to have first emerged in 2019, was on display recently in a Chinese National Day parade, revealing a blended wing-body stealth exterior similar in design construction to a B-2, B-21 or RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone.

Believed to be in existence since for more than a decade, the RQ-170 seems to represent future drone developmental trajectories as unmanned air platforms will increasingly need to be stealthier, a reality often discussed by senior Air Force weapons developers.

As for this new Chinese stealth drone, it may not-surprisingly be somewhat of a copy or rip-off of the U.S. Sentinel or X-47B demonstrator. The Chinese have a well-documented and easily observed habit of producing new weaponsplatforms bearing very close resemblance to U.S. systems several years after they emerge.

An available image of the Gongi-11 drone printed in the Chinese Global Times newspaper shows a stealthy configuration which seems to resemble artistic renderings of the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone. However, only the top of the Gongi-11 is visible, so it is less clear if the drone has weapons pylons or what might look like an internal weapons bay. Of course external hard points for weapons will generate a much more discernible radar return signature, yet some type of internal carriage might be within the realm of the possible.