November 16, 2025: GJ-11 is the latest Chinese combat drone. It is a nine-ton tailless delta-shaped unmanned aircraft with a single engine and an internal weapons that can hold two tons of guided bombs, missiles or whatever new weapons the Chinese come up with. Top speed is subsonic, at about 900 kilometers an hour. This drone is still in the prototype stage, as is the GJ-11J carrier based version. Manned Chinese combat aircraft are being equipped to control two or more GJ-11 drones as Loyal Wingman. This is a concept the USAF has been working on for decades but only has two drones, the YFQ42A and the YFQ44A in development. Both have flown but both are years away from active duty. These two drones are competing and only one will be adopted by the U.S. Air Force.

Meanwhile back in 2018 China offered to export its GJ-2 combat drone. When this drone was first revealed in 2016 it was described as an upgraded version of the original Wing Loong which made its first flight in 2007 and in 2008 was offered for export as a much cheaper alternative to the American MQ-1 Predator that entered service in the late 1990s. But the shape of the Wing Loong was similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper, which entered service a decade after MQ-1, weighed nearly four times as much and was described as primarily a combat attack drone.

GJ-2 made its first flight in February 2017 and was described as capable of high altitude operations. That was demonstrated later in 2017 when a GJ-2 flew over the 8,848 meter high Mount Everest. GJ-2 specs give it a max altitude of 9,000 meters, top speed of 370 kilometers an hour and a payload of 400 kg of sensors or weapons. The production model GJ-2 only has two hard points under the wings to hang weapons from which is sufficient to carry four BA-7 missiles similar to the 50 kg Hellfire or four 60 kg GPS guided bombs similar to the U.S. SDB. As offered for export GJ-2 can carry a synthetic aperture radar, EW/Electronic Warfare, ELINT/Electronic Intelligence collection or communications relay equipment as well as a vidcam pod. Endurance is 20 hours and GJ-2 comes equipped with a satellite link and the drone can operate up to 1,500 kilometers from its base. GJ-2 has improved aerodynamics and a sturdier airframe that makes extensive use of lighter composite materials. This makes possible the high altitude performance which makes it useful for patrolling the Indian border, which is mostly with Tibet and over 4,000 meters high. There is improved flight control software and a more powerful and fuel-efficient turboprop engine. GJ-2 weighs over two tons; its exact weight has not made public yet and is closer in size and performance to the American 4.7 ton MQ-9.

While the Chinese military has received some production model GJ-2s, the main market is export customers. Pakistan and the UAE/United Arab Emirates have already ordered about a hundred and Saudi Arabia is negotiating a deal to obtain 300 GJ-2s. This alone would exceed production to date of the MQ-9. The GJ-2 is sold for less than half the price of the MQ-9 and there are no export restrictions on who can get it or what they do with it.

For several decades a growing number of Chinese commercial firms have been developing military drones and dual-use commercial drones. Unlike most Western nations, China will sell military drones to anyone who can pay and is not bothered about the use of bribes and other illegal, in the West, payments. If you can pay, you can have it. For that reason, China has a lot of unnamed customers for its armed drones and does not release as many details of weapons export sales as other nations like Russia.

The original Wing Loong 1 drone has been around for a while. In 2008 Chinese aircraft manufacturer AVIC began showing off photos and videos of a prototype for a clone of the American MQ-1 Predator drone that turned out to be Wing Loong. In 2012 one was first seen in flight, over the capital of Uzbekistan, which, along with UAE, were the first export customers. It was later revealed that development on Wing Loong began in 2005, first flight was in 2007 and Chinese troops got the first ones in 2008 for further testing.

While Wing Loong is similar in shape to the larger American MQ-9 Reaper, in size it's almost identical to the 1.2 ton Predator. Wing Loong weighs 1.1 tons, has a 14 meter wingspan, and is 9 meters long. It has a maximum altitude of 5,300 meters, max speed of 270 kilometers an hour and an endurance of over 20 hours. Wing Loong payload is 200 kg and can carry two BA-7 laser-guided missiles similar to the Hellfire or two 60 kg laser-guided bombs as well as a laser designator and vidcams. Wing Loong has been used frequently in Central Asia and the Middle East for reconnaissance and ground attack. For that reason, the original Wing Loong has been renamed GJ-1 and is still for sale.