PLA Air Force unveils three-drone system with GJ-3A debut, providing intel to Army, Navy, Rocket Force

Global Times — Defense 4 August 2026

Summary

CCTV aired footage Friday revealing the PLA Air Force's intelligent strike-planning system built around three drone types, including the GJ-3A in its public debut, with the system described as providing targeting intelligence to the PLA Army, Navy, and Rocket Force. The cross-service intelligence-sharing framing documents a joint fires architecture in which Air Force unmanned platforms serve as a sensor layer for other services' strike assets — though the footage alone cannot confirm operational integration versus aspirational messaging. The KVD002's appearance under Army designation, distinct from the Air Force system, raises the question of how reconnaissance tasking is divided between service-organic and joint-pool assets.

First public reporting of the GJ-3A drone and a named three-drone intelligent strike-planning system, with footage showing cross-service intelligence distribution to Army, Navy, and Rocket Force—a new capability disclosure of direct interest to analysts tracking PLA unmanned combat systems and joint operations architecture.

Translation

China's state broadcaster has aired footage of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's intelligent strike-planning system, showing ... A newly released video aired by CCTV on Friday showed the PLA Army's KVD002 armed reconnaissance drone successfully ... As an important piece of equipment in the arsenal of the PLA Air Force's unmanned combat system, the ...

Original text