The Turks have been flying the Anka-3 for a long time, the same thing^
This is a prototype. GJ-11's prototype - Sharp Sword program, was flown at least as far back as 2013. That makes it 10 years earlier to maiden flight compared to Anka-3's prototype. Anka-3 remains as a prototype while the GJ-11 reached service as far back as 2019.
BS to everyone saying 2022. Even Chinese official recognition of GJ-11 service puts its introduction at 2019. Chinese official recognition of a platform reaching service has always been
after the platform has reached service. I challenge anyone to give me one example of this not being the case.
J-10 reached service about 2 years before officially recognised by China. J-20 reached service about a year before officially being recognised by China. China is not India, showing off powerpoints and making wild claims. This forum still insists on the whole GJ-11 reaching service in recent years despite 2019 parade officially declaring the GJ-11 early units having reached service. They just refined it further and further and the recent Tibetan theatre GJ-11 are simply new blocks of GJ-11.
You guys know what happened with the J-10? It reached service initially as the "J-10". Years later when China officially declared J-10 service in PLAAF, it was the J-10A model. There were around 20 units of J-10 built before the slightly improved J-10A which we can consider as the mass production version.
Same exact thing with J-20. First reached service as "J-20" using AL-31FN series. A dozen or two of that block was introduced and built to refine the manufacturing for mass production and introduce as LRIP into PLAAF service for training and other refinement. Promptly followed by "J-20A" using WS-10B/C powerplant. Only recently did we get a clarification on J-20's official suffix where they basically merged the J-20 and "J-20A". Humpback J-20 which would be the third distinct block is officially known as J-20A.
Same thing with GJ-11. The more modern ones we're seeing are simply the refined and mass produced ones.
What's more is that Anka-3's prototype flew with a AL-322 engine with a max developed thrust of around 40KN wet. The 2013 Sharp Sword prototype flew with a WS-13 engine developing around 80KN wet. These two aircrafts are about as comparable as a F-5 and F-15.
Not to mention my statement didn't count prototypes or any UAV that didn't reach service like the X-47B.
GJ-11 is the world's first and only stealth strike UAV in
active duty. I'm not counting S-70 because it appears to honestly be an Amarta deal where they show off the product well before it's actually completed and/or ready. That would put it around 2013-2015 Sharp Sword level of readiness. The Russians just have a habit of rushing this stuff and putting it all out there. They think it's flying above Kiev without being spotted or shot down except that one time it misbehaved and was taken out by a Su-57. Comparing GJ-11 to S-70 is like comparing all the new models of BYD that hit mass production to the Aurus limosine.
Notice how much earlier Russia showed off the Su-57 only to have it arrive later than J-20 and today there are close to 400 J-20s in service and less than 40 Su-57 in service that are NOT prototypes. Yes the Russians often convert prototypes into combat platform. You can do that but most don't like doing that for various reasons. In this time China's also been building J-15, J-15D, J-15T, J-15DT, J-16, J-10C, J-10CE, UADFs, and working on 6th gens while Russia has been building Su-35, Su-30SM2 and working on Su-75.
They also showed off the Su-75 before it was even a prototype. Who shows off a pre-prototype concept?? And why? to score customers? They'll just realise you want their money to develop the concept into a prototype assuming they even flew X-planes of it.
So for the above reasons, I'm hesitant to consider the S-70 a fully developed and completed product at the moment. They might have completed it and it's hitting some level of mass production but they're also likely to broadcast that if that is true. They haven't.
