Chinese UAV industry is maturing with more and more private company involve in the project raising their quality and technological standard
More than 100 Wing Loong II armed drones sold for export
BY
We know that the program of the Chinese military drone Wing Loong II had won at least one export contract even before the first prototype made its inaugural flight, which dates back to February last year, while according to its AVIC manufacturer Chengdu the first copy has already been delivered as early as the month of October. But what is still unknown today is who bought and the details of these contracts.
If we still do not have the precise answer to these last questions, apart from the fact that the KAUs seem to have received their first batch of delivery, we still know that a hundred devices have already been sold so far.
In fact, according to a television report of the Chinese national channel CCTV-13 on August 1 this year, "more than 100 Wing Loong II drones are sold today in the international market" but no other details 'has been disclosed. The show focused instead on what China calls "civil-military cooperation," a concept that is largely applied to the mass production of the Chinese armed drone.
Confirmed user countries of Wing Loong I and Wing Loong II drones (Image: East Pendulum)
In Chengdu, where the drone was designed, we can see on the assembly line several aircraft that are being final assembled while others, in pale gray livery, are in the hangar waiting to be tested. .
We then learn that the 300 or so private companies, which account for about 50% of Tier-1 suppliers in the program, had a difficult adjustment period to acclimatize to military processes and its much stricter standards than they have to do so far on civilian products.
In return, they benefit from a certain level of technology transfer and integrate into a more global industrial chain, while becoming more competitive, while the state- owned aircraftmanufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) takes advantage of the workforce. to increase its production capacity and improve the sense of service through private sector feedback.
The Institut 611 and Factory 132 CAC today manage more than 100 external suppliers for the supply of the 130 subsystems of a Wing Loong II drone. The production line currently has a hundred or so staff, most of whom are engineers, for a current production rate of 24 aircraft per year.
Chinese aircraft manufacturers plan to
to increase their design and production capacity, and reach the pace 30 in the near future in Chengdu.
According to figures released by JI Xiao Guang (季 晓光), director of the 611 Institute, which deals with the design of the J-10 and J-20 fighters, Wing Loong I, II, ID and III drones could generate up to 15 billion yuan of income, or about 1.9 billion euros at today's exchange rate, over the next five years.
The first delivery of the Wing Loong II to the foreign customer.
Four times heavier than the previous Wing Loong I, which made its first flight in October 2007, the Wing Loong II, with a maximum takeoff weight of 4,200 kg, has made China the second-largest country in the world capable of build a Medium Altitude and Long Endurance (MALE) armed drone in this template.
This new version is 11 meters long, 4.1 meters high and 20.5 meters wide. It is capable of flying up to 9,000 meters above sea level, with a top speed of 370 km / h. With a larger size and a new turboprop of Chinese origin, the Wing Loong II can carry 480 kg of weapons on its 6 points of carriage, ie 12 ammunition Air-Sol in total, for missions of identification and typing.
For reconnaissance missions, it can count on a complete optronic suite equipped with TV, IR and laser channels, as well as a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The autonomy of the drone is given at 20 hours in flight when the device is fully armed.
"The Wing Loong II is at the same level as the American UAV MQ-9
Reaper, " said LI after
, "We are competing with the best drones in the world in the same category , with our own technologies, and we could surpass them in the near future. "
The potential size of the export market for Wing Loong drones is estimated at "several hundred" aircraft, according to the chief engineer of the Chinese design office.
Henri K.
