China Performs Maiden Flight of New UAS
On Feb. 27, the first flight of the Wing-Loong II UAS, which is a medium-altitude, long-endurance, multi-role unmanned system designed for a variety of uses, was flown in China.
Developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute (CADI) of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the UAS flew 31 minutes during its initial flight.
According to the chief designer of the Wing-Loong UAS series Li Yidong, the UAS is comparable to one of the most famous unmanned systems in the United States.
“Taking a look at the UAS in same class around the world, the Wing-Loong II is equivalent to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, and ranks in the first level on the UAS list,” Yidong says through ECNS.cn.
“It can rapidly identify then strike against time-critical and fleeting targets. The capability is not possessed by previous unmanned aircraft, even manned aircraft.”
Capable of flying 20 hours in a persistent mission cruise, the UAS, which also includes GCS, mission payload and a ground support system, is built to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance and ground strike missions.
According to its developers, the UAS could also be used for tasks involving collecting intelligence, search and rescue missions and border patrol operations.
Before its first flight, the 11-meter-long Wing-Loong II UAS won the biggest overseas purchase order in the history of Chinese UAS foreign military sales.
