CHINESE Medium Altitude Long Endurance DRONES

J20!

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I was going to post on @Kshatriya87 's thread on the CH5. Considering the multiple efforts to develop a MALE UAV for the different arms of the PLA, I decided it would be better to create a thread where all Chinese MALE drones can be discussed:

To kick things off, here's a translation of Henri K's article on the CH5's first flight on eastpendulum.com



Military drone CH-5 takes off
AIR


BY
HENRI KENHMANN

16 JULY 2017
THE
1
0 VIEWS
The duel between the two largest manufacturers of military drone in China continues to rage - after the first flight in February of MALE UAV Wing Loong II designed by the aircraft manufacturer AVIC, it was the turn of the CH-5 the group of Chinese aerospace company CASC which made its inaugural flight this week at an airfield in northern China.

The 3.3 ton drone was towed on site around 1400 hours on Friday, 14 July, protected by a military camouflage tarpaulin and another waterproof in blue color.

After about two hours of preparation, notably to check the various on-board and on-ground systems, and also to refuel the CH-5's piston engine, the aircraft took off and landed A 20 minute flight, all fully automated.




The first CH-5 made its maiden flight on 14 July 2017 around 4 pm local time (Photos: Xinhua, CD 老天)




The CH-5 program actually did a first flight two years ago, in August 2015, but it was a prototype that was completely revised thereafter.

It is the same model presented last year at the Zhuhai Airshow 2016 which took off this week in an aerodrome whose name was not revealed.

Compared to its prototype, the CH-5 is no longer the same aircraft. While it preserved the V-tail and the same reciprocating piston engine, the aerodynamics were completely modified. The front tip is in "negative dihedral" now, the middle wings have replaced the low wings and the vertical stabilizing keel has been removed.

Not to mention the fuselage that has been completely redesigned to take into account, in a way, passive radar stealth.


The first CH5 prototype


From top to bottom, the prototype of CH-5, the current version
As for the performance of the CH-5, the communications made by its designer CAAA, subsidiary of the group CASC, are quite confusing. Indeed, if its chief engineer SHI Wen spoke more than 10,000 km and 60 hours autonomous flight to Xinhua Agency reporters after the first flight of this new CH-5, the figures given to Zhuhai Airshow 2016 are only 6,500 km and 40 hours of flight, when the drone was still presented in the form of a scale model.

In comparison, the Wing Loong II of a MTOW of 4,200 kg can only be kept in flight for 20 hours by being armed, for a size comparable to that. It is therefore hard to imagine that for a MTOW 25% weaker, we have three times the autonomy and twice as many external frequencies.

The most likely explanation is that the figures released this week are only targeted characteristics, while the current UAV is performing more modestly.

Characteristics Wing Loong II CH-5 Prototype CH-5
Length 11.00 m Between 11 and 12 m
span 20.50 m 20.00 m 21.50 m
Height 4.10 m
MTOW 4,200 kg 3,000 kg 3 300 kg (?)
Internal loads 200 kg 200 kg 200 kg
Maximum external loads 480 kg 1,000 kg
Points of Carry 6
(12 munitions maximum) 6
(maximum 16 ammunition)
Propulsion Turboprop WJ-9A Reciprocating engine
(Fuel oil) Reciprocating engine
(Fuel oil)
Propulsion Power 600 hp 300 hp 300 hp
Maximum speed 370 km / h 220 km / h
Minimum Speed 150 km / h 160 km / h
Ceiling 9,000 m 7,600 m
Endurance (FH) 20 FH on Armed Mission 36 FH 40 to 60 FH max.
30 FH with 8 AR-1 missiles
Endurance (km) 6,500 to 10,000 km
Take-off distance 1,000 m
Landing distance 1,200 m
Radius per LOS link 200 km 250 km 250 km
Radius per satellite link 2,000 km 2,000 km 2,000 km
Production cost 1/4 of MQ-9 Reaper
Unit price 4.87 M € to 8.00 M €

Wing Loong II and CH-5 compete in the external market, especially in the large market in the Middle East where the two families of drones Wing Loong and Cai Hong (CH-x) Already conquered a large number of countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan ... etc, the design philosophy behind these two products remains very different.

When the 611 Chengdu Institute favors both the survivability of its Wing Loong II with an operational ceiling and a higher cruising speed, and the variety of missions with a wide range of ammunition, the CAAA aims, for its part, Easy and inexpensive operation, thus the cost of the overall life cycle much lower for future CH-5 customers.

For example, SHI Wen revealed that the cost of producing a CH-5 is only 25% of the US MQ-9 drone , and one of the tricks to get to this seems interesting - unlike the RQ-9 which has been designed to last as long as the cell, but which considerably increases the cost of design and production, CH-5 only lasts 33% of the total life of the drone but its cost Is also divided by three. The CBW has been adapted and reinforced to allow for more frequent wing change. This choice reduces the cost of production and the risk of having to completely change the "all-life" wing after intense use, but does not change the cost of the customer use cycle.




The full-scale model of CH-5, presented at the last Zhuhai Airshow 2016.
Armament level, the CH-5 has six points of loading able to charge two different types of missiles today - the Air-Sol AR-1 missile of 45 kg and a range of 10 km already widely used in Iraq , And a smaller one, the AR-2 , which is a new missile model weighing less than half - which allows different types of targets to be addressed with greater flexibility and efficiency.

The CAAA is also planning to propose its new MALE drone for civilian missions such as maritime surveillance and geological surveys. For this purpose, several internal payloads have been designed, ranging from the optronic ball to the embedded SAR radar, via the hyper-spectral camera for example.

Finally, although the authorities did not want to reveal the exact location where the CH-5 made its maiden flight, but based on one of the photos showing the drone control screen, The image of a runway, it is believed to be Pingquan Airfield, a level 2 permanent reserve airport of the Chinese Army with a 2,400-meter runway. The facility is located about 223 km northeast of the city of Beijing, where the CAAA site is located.


On the central screen of the CH-5 drone "container",
 

J20!

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Another East Pendulum article on the impending delivery of the Wing Loong II UCAV to a middle eastern customer:

http://www.eastpendulum.com/chengdu-prepare-la-livraison-du-premier-wing-loong-ii

Chengdu prepares delivery of first Wing Loong II

AIR

BY
HENRI KENHMANN

In September 2016 we discussed the possible sale of the new Chinese armed drone Wing Loong II by the AVIC group to Saudi Arabia , and a very short sentence in an article published by the Chinese aircraft manufacturer on Monday, February 6 suggests that the Delivery of the first device for a foreign customer is imminent.

" To meet the needs of the foreign customer, the Wing Loong team is intensifying ground testing of the first Wing Loong II. "Said the article, without giving any details.

On the image which is also published in parallel of the text appeared a drone, without its landing trains, placed on a support on the ground, which is of far more imposing size than its predecessor. It is seen through the height between the root and the ground which measures about 1.7 meters.

The device is obviously always in final assembly, with several staff, probably the preparers of the methods office, who work on the sides.


The first Wing Loong II for an export client on the assembly line (Photo: AVIC)

It is not known if this first export client of Wing Loong II is indeed Saudi Arabia, but the deputy chief engineer DAI Chuan (戴 川) of the 611 Chengdu Institute had specified in a recent interview with a Chinese magazine That the AVIC group has signed "the biggest historical contract" of this family of drones, without specifying the name of the customer concerned.

But DAI revealed three interesting stories about the family of drones MALE Wing Loong to explain how Chengdu was able to enter the market of the region. One of the (Middle East?) Clients asked the Chengdu team to put a Wing Loong drone on the ground in the desert in broad daylight for 8 hours before taking off. A test that the drone has a priori overcome effortlessly.

Then, once the drone in flight, the ground control station suddenly no longer power. When the Chinese team asks the customer to return the current, the latter indicates that it is a test to see how the ground segment and the drone react during the cut.

The backup battery on the ground is exhausted a little more than an hour later, then all communication is lost with the drone after six hours. Despite this, the aircraft found the track alone and landed in full automatic.

The third story is about a visit from a "foreign VIP" who wanted to evaluate the drone Wing Loong. This future customer demanded, without warning in advance, that the machine attacks in autonomous mode a Jeep remotely guided in motion. The ground crew had only an indication of the approximate location of the vehicle.


A Wing Loong I in Egypt.

The missile-laden drone then managed to search, identify and lock on the Jeep, without the intervention of its operators, before destroying it. The Chinese later learned that this American Jeep was imported by their client seven years ago, and has already participated in a dozen real fire drills where the F-16 and the Rafale l ' Have served as a target, without being able to touch it until then.

All these small indications suggest that the first client of Wing Loong II is either Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, both of whom have been clients of Wing Loong I in recent years. Not to mention Egypt, which has several copies deployed near the border with Israel, could also be this mysterious first customer.

But if the first Wing Loong II flying under the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) color, then we might wonder why three Chinese armed drones, from two different manufacturers, find themselves together to serve for the same missions, Is seeking to acquire an unmanned vector with a larger carrying capacity for its anti-terrorist struggle, especially above the Yemeni sky.

Indeed, RSAF has already acquired a number of Wing Loong I in 2014, and presented at the end of January their first CH-4B of the Chinese aerospace group CASC, which we talked about in the dossier " Saudi Arabia acquires drones Armed forces CH-4? ". The Wing Loong II, much bigger than these two first, will certainly bring the missing capacity but there is probably some redundancy.


Wing Loong II is presented to the public for the first time at the Zhuhai Air Show (Photo: 烽火 议 </s>)

Presented for the first time at the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2016, we know of the existence of this Wing Loong II since September 2015 while it was in development.

Three times heavier than its predecessor, the drone now plays in the same category of the American drone MQ-9 Reaper . If we look at the evolution of Wing Loong I at Wing Loong II, we will find the same development pattern at General Atomics, with the RQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9.

Some data on this new Chinese drone, which should also join the ranks of the Chinese Air Force in the months to come:

Characteristics Wing Loong II
Length 11.00 m
span 20.50 m
Height 4.10 m
MTOW 4,200 kg
Maximum external loads 480 kg
Points of Carry 6
(maximum 12 ammunition)
Maximum speed 370 km / h
Minimum Speed 150 km / h
Ceiling 9,000 m
Endurance 20 hours flight time
Take-off distance 1,000 m
Landing distance 1,200 m
Radius per LOS link 200 km
 

J20!

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An article on the participation of a private Chinese company in the assembly of Wing Loong II UCAVs:

1st military drone assembled by a private company: Wing Loong II

AIR



BY
HENRI KENHMANN

Monday, July 10 at 7:00 am local time, a military drone Wing Loong II successfully took off from an airfield in western China for an inaugural flight that lasted 45 minutes.

One would have thought that this is a very commonplace news, since the actual inaugural flight of the Wing Loong II program already took place earlier this year, on February 27 precisely. But the device in question is actually the very first military drone in China that was assembled entirely by a private company.




Xin Jing Aviation (鑫 旌 Sous) has been specialized in the design and manufacture of wind tunnel models for the past ten years, but has sought to diversify, particularly in the field of aeronautics. Of the production of drones from 2005 onwards.

In 2013, Xin Jing Aviation completed the end-to-end production of a flying wing drone weighing 550 kg and a wingspan of 5.5 meters. With this experience, it was in 2016 that she started working with the 611 Institute of the AVIC group, designer of the military drones Wing Loong, to become one of the final integrators of the drone Wing Loong II.





By subcontracting the final assembly of its brand new armed drone program, the AVIC state group not only responds to the Chinese government's call for "Civil-Military" integration, which creates a new channel To encourage innovation and reduce spending by avoiding double investment, for example, but also aims at increasing the overall production capacity to satisfy an increasingly demanding internal and external market, and Another serious competitor in the field of military drones, the CASC group, which comes from the aerospace sector and offers Cai Hong drones like the CH-4 and CH-5 , also sold in the Middle East like the Wing Loong.

This rebalancing of the Supply Chain and above all this sharing of profit anticipated a year before the first flight of the program, also suggests that the order book of Wing Loong II is full and that the delivery schedule is (very) A situation that requires a more profound change in the industrial structure to meet them.


The headquarters of Xin Jing Aviation in Xi'an

With the success of the inaugural flight of its first Wing Loong II, Xin Jing Aviation plans to enlarge its assembly line very soon, which will pass at a rate of 10 devices per year.

According to the press release, it will create 208 new hires and generate an additional turnover of 380 million yuan, or 38 million yuan unit (~ 4.87 million).

It is still unclear whether it is the resale price internally from Xin Jing to AVIC or if it is the export price directly, but it already gives us an idea of the price of a Wing Loong II.

For the MQ-9 Reaper, for example, which weighs just 300 kg more than the Wing Loong II, its unit flyaway price (excluding support) amounts to just over US $ 22 million for the 361 drones acquired by The US military between 2002 and 2039, according to the Pentagon's Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) in 2016 .

According to the same statement, the Wing Loong II drones will, in principle, be dedicated to export. Chengdu Factory 132 and Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC), both of which are AVIC's subsidiaries, should therefore handle production for domestic demand.

Another point is that the 611 Institute is capable of outsourcing the final assembly of such a drone means that the Chinese design office - which also designs part of the military aircraft for the air force and The Chinese navy, such as the J-10 , the J-20 or the hypersonic drone and the mini-space shuttle, has reached a certain maturity in its internal processes, including segmentation and securing Data, industrial ranges and strategic supply chain management.


The inaugural flight of the first MALE Wing Loong II drone dates back to February this year.

Wing Loong II is a MALE drone with an MTOW weight of 4,200 kg. Measuring 11 meters long and with a wingspan of 20.5 meters, the Chinese drone can take off from a base at a maximum altitude of 3,800 meters and fly up to 370 km / h and 9,000 meters 'altitude.

Its carrying capacity is 2,035 kg of fuel, plus 480 kg of armaments and 200 kg of internal equipment. The aircraft's in-flight time is longer than 20 hours.

Sources indicate that Saudi Arabia, which has already acquired Wing Loong I in recent years, have placed an important order with AVIC to buy this heavier and more advanced version. The Chinese Air Force is also preparing to receive a number of Wing Loong II.

To be continued.

Henri K.
 

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http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...abia-buying-and-building-chinese-armed-drones

Saudi Arabia Buying and Building Chinese Armed Drones
by Chen Chuanren and Chris Pocock
- April 12, 2017, 7:59 AM


The Wing Loong II first flew in late February (main photo, Chinese Internet). The armed CH-4 was unveiled at the Xhuhai airshow in 2012 (inset, Vladimir Karnozov)
made its first flight on February 27. Chinese state news agency Xinhua said that this is the country’s largest-ever arms export. Media in Saudi Arabia reported that the Kingdom will acquire 300 Chinese UAVs (eg. Wing Loong IIs) worth approximately $10 billion. The Wing Loong (Pterodactyl) series is produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG).

Moreover, on March 16 the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology signed a partnership with the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) to establish a manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia for the CH (Cai Hong or Rainbow) series of UCAVs.

The Saudis already operate the turboprop-powered CH-4 UCAV series, but it was not made clear whether this new agreement covers only that type, or also the jet-powered CH-5 that was unveiled at the Zhuhai airshow last November. The Saudi assembly line for the CH series may also supply other countries in the region, such as Qatar. The primary payload for the CH-4 is the AR-1/HJ-10, capable of hitting armored targets at 10 km with its 10 kg warhead.

The Saudis also already operate Wing Loong I UAVs, and are reported to have used both these and CH-4s over Yemen against the Houthi rebels there.

The original deal to supply Wing Loong Is was reached in 2014 when Saudi Crown Prince Salman met Chinese General Wang Guanzhong in China. The Saudis evidently became frustrated at restrictions on the export to the Kingdom of Western-origin UCAVs such as the GA-ASI Predator and Reaper. The U.S. and European countries adhere to the provisions of the Missile Control Technology Regime (MCTR). This voluntary code was established by the G7 countries in 1987 to inhibit the proliferation of missiles that could deliver nuclear weapons. China signed up to the MCTR, but not to its subsequent extension in 1992 to cover long-range UAVs.

These restrictions have led countries including Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates to turn to the Chinese drone manufacturers. Iraq has used the CH-4s for strikes against the occupying Islamic State regime. The Nigerian air force has used Chinese UCAVs against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast of that country. The UAE has deployed its CH-4s alongside their Saudi counterparts over Yemen.

Chinese analyst Zhong Jing told Chinese media that the unit cost and flexibility of operating gives Chinese UCAVs an edge over their Western counterparts. The unit cost for a Wing Loong I is reportedly to be less than $1 million, compared to $17 million for a MQ-9 Reaper. She added that the success of the CH-4 laid a good foundation for CASC’s new CH-5.
 

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Moving on to UCAV's in service with different arms of the PLA, export customers or both:

Predecessor of the CH5 and also designed and manufactured by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA, also known as the 11th Academy) is the CH4 reconnaissance and combat unmanned aerial vehicle. A short write up from sinodefence.com:

https://sinodefence.com/2015/12/13/ch-4-uav/

The development of the CH-4 began in 2010 and the UAV first flew in September 2011. The UAV has been exported to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, and may have also been in operational service with the PLAAF since 2014 according to some Chinese media reports.

The largest in size in CAAA’s Cai Hong (“Rainbow”) UAV/UCAV family, the CH-4 is roughly similar in size to the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. It is a multirole unmanned aerial system capable of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), air interdiction (AI), and electronic warfare (EW) missions. In addition, it can also be used for border petrol, law enforcement, and counterterrorism purposes.

The CH-4 has an operational ceiling of 8,000 m (26,246 ft), a maximum range of 3,500 km (2,175 miles), and a maximum take-off weight of 1,330 kg. The UAV can carry up to 345 kg of weapon or mission payload, with 165 kg fuel. It can fly continuously for up to 38 hours, though this reduces to 14 hours when operating to maximum payload and fuel.

The CH-4 is 9 m in total length and 18 m in wingspan, with 80% of its airframe made of composite materials. The UAV has four underwing pylons (75 kg payload on outer pylons and 120 kg payload on inner pylons). The UAV can carry 4 to 6 AR-1 semi-active laser-guided missiles. The missile is 1.45 m in length, 0.18 m in diameter, and 45 kg in mass. It has an effective range of 2 to 8 km, and an accuracy of under 1.5 m CEP. It has a penetration depth of 1,000 mm when used against armoured targets and 1,200 mm against ground buildings

CH4's on trials at Zhongwei Airport, Ningxia:










The CH4 is in service with the Iraqi airforce and has been used as both a reconnaissance and strike asset in their offensives against Daesh:

 
Last edited:

J20!

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Wing Loong I which is actually in service with the PLAAF and participated in Red Flag exercises:

Drone Wing Loong: New Deployment Details


BY
HENRI KENHMANN

24 MAY 2017
1 COMMENT
3
488 VIEWS
It has been a few years since the armed MALE drone Wing Loong was admitted to active service in the Chinese Air Force, but as is customary, very little detail has been communicated so far .

When exactly did it enter service? How were the first pilots selected and trained? What about the first operational missions of this MALE drone in the arm
Wing Loong drones based in Malan, Xinjiang Province.

China's state-run media - such as the Xinhua news agency, the People's Daily newspaper, and the national CCTV - have made extensive coverage since yesterday on one of China's first Wing Loong pilots. No less than thirty different articles and videos have been published and reveal many unusual details about this drone.

LI Hao (李浩), the air brigade general of the Chinese Air Force, is the man who caused so much ink to flow. Aged 54, LI was a former fighter pilot who flew on 6 different aircraft models and has more than 3,000 hours of flying time.

Its history with the drone Wing Loong started 7 years ago, in late 2010. Approaching its 48-year-old at the time, mandatory retirement age for the Fighter pilots of the Army of the Army, Chinese airline, LI could have converted into commercial airline pilot, but eventually chose to submit his candidacy to become the first Chinese combat drone pilots.

That year, the Chinese Air Force created its first combat drone brigade, and 20 fighter pilots were selected to join this newly founded entity in South East China.

"I was one of the first volunteers to choose this route," says LI, now an instructor of drone pilots, "but only a few of the time were still in service today ..."

The year 2011 was marked by a series of intensive theoretical training which took place at 3 different locations, for the 20 pilot students of Wing Loong. They had to travel between two Chinese air force universities in northern China, and their southern-based operational entity.

"Wing Loong was not yet delivered, there were many questions that had remained theoretical and experimental for us," confesses LI. There were disagreements between the trainers and the students, including the flight control parameters.






After the theoretical trainings come the training on simulator. On May 20, 2012, LI Hao became the first pilot of the Chinese army to take off, in truth, the drone Wing Loong whose code code of the mission is of "72", followed by the other pilots of the same promotion .

Since then, things have been accelerating. Wing Loong drones participated for the first time in Red Flag 2012, the equivalent of Red Flag maneuvers in the West, where they conducted reconnaissance missions in real time. This is the first time a combat drone has been integrated into the overall Chinese Air Force system.

In 2014, LI and three other pilots performed their first Air-Sol strikes in Xinjiang Province, their new home base. It is here that each one fired two missiles from their drone, and this signals the end of their basic training as a drone pilot.

On the strength of this success, their Wing Loong participated in a military exercise trans-armed in the same year, and Air-Sol weapons were used. They then linked to the joint Sino-Russian exercise "Mission of Peace 2014", where the LI-powered drone struck and destroyed an OPFOR command vehicle.


Air brigade general LI Hao, pilot and instructor of the drone Wing Loong.

(article continued in next post due to 8 picture limit)
 

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(continued):


LI Hao with his drone students WIng Loong



But using individual armed drones is not suitable for the Chinese Air Force. In July 2015, it organizes a flight evaluation mission in formation of two models of military drone, of which the Wing Loong - the first of its kind. The trial took place at a military base on the plateau at an altitude of 3,800 meters.

And it is in 2016 that the Wing Loong drones begin to fly together with the piloted aircraft and collaborate collaboratively with them on two major military exercises, including the Red Sword 2016.

Today, LI Hao continues to fly with its drones and trains young pilots - in February this year it hosts two young fighter pilots, one holds the "Golden Helmet", the supreme award for a pilot of Chinese hunt. But LI's eyes are now turning towards the next reception of a brand new type of armed drone, the exact model of which has not been revealed.

The base of this Wing Loong Air Regiment is home to about 100 families so far, and the ground facilities are being completed as they go along.





We have all been able to learn from the articles and videos published in recent days, which have also helped us to answer some of the questions that we have had for a long time. Starting with knowing whether the Wing Loong drones used by the Chinese army are equipped with satellite links, enabling operators to operate them over a very long distance, or they are forced to limit the radius of control to 250 km by radio .

And the answer is yes, and this time with three proofs in support. The first is in a passage from the CCTV-7 television report, where the young drone pilots can be seen in the "container" of command and control next to LI Hao, it is stated that the drone they were piloting Is 1,000 km from where they are located.

The second is the photo of a large antenna on the ground to connect with drones via the military communication satellite.





The antenna that connects with the Wing Loong drones via Chinese military communications satellites.
The other issue is overnight flights. Can the Wing Loong drones of the Chinese Air Force perform nightly sorties?

And again, the answer is yes. On the eve of the interview with General LI Hao, the base pilots were preparing for a night flight training. And the Chinese media also published two photos of a Wing Loong drone with the commentary "the drone's trajectory at night", as well as a passage at the beginning of a television report, in which the pilots train Night shots.


A Wing Loong combat drone in night flight





There are of course other small details that can be mentioned, which are equally interesting, such as the frequent updating of software, the automation of the exit of the drone from its hangar to the tarmac, the tolerances of Meteorological condition for the take-off and the automatic landing of the Wing Loong, or some anecdotes on the breakdowns and the false alarms of system ... etc, but we will have the opportunity to come back soon.

And these publications have also left us other points in suspense, for example what is the other model of drone that was flying training with the Wing Loong in July 2015? What new type of drone that LI Hao is about to receive this year? What is the real level of integration of armed drones alongside the other aircraft piloted by the Chinese Air Force?

So these are all questions that deserve to be further elaborated.



 

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Pakis are locally producing the Chinese A2G missile as BARQ for their CH 5 which is also Chinese known as Burraq in Pakistan.
 

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Wing Loong I which is actually in service with the PLAAF and participated in Red Flag exercises:

That is a strange method chosen to refuel the UCAV.
You will never be able to do hot refueling. Kind of understandable given the primary purpose of longer sortie duration. But still you will not be able to refuel it in flight either which would be a natural wishlist for your military in future.
 

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To me it seems Chinese have done a good job in hacking U.S. military contractors computers and stealing the designs and minute details for large number of different weapon systems. They don't need to worry about IPRs and licenses. Stealing is the best policy.
 

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Wing Loong I which is actually in service with the PLAAF and participated in Red Flag exercises:

Drone Wing Loong: New Deployment Details


BY
HENRI KENHMANN

24 MAY 2017
1 COMMENT
3
488 VIEWS
It has been a few years since the armed MALE drone Wing Loong was admitted to active service in the Chinese Air Force, but as is customary, very little detail has been communicated so far .

When exactly did it enter service? How were the first pilots selected and trained? What about the first operational missions of this MALE drone in the arm
Wing Loong drones based in Malan, Xinjiang Province.

China's state-run media - such as the Xinhua news agency, the People's Daily newspaper, and the national CCTV - have made extensive coverage since yesterday on one of China's first Wing Loong pilots. No less than thirty different articles and videos have been published and reveal many unusual details about this drone.

LI Hao (李浩), the air brigade general of the Chinese Air Force, is the man who caused so much ink to flow. Aged 54, LI was a former fighter pilot who flew on 6 different aircraft models and has more than 3,000 hours of flying time.

Its history with the drone Wing Loong started 7 years ago, in late 2010. Approaching its 48-year-old at the time, mandatory retirement age for the Fighter pilots of the Army of the Army, Chinese airline, LI could have converted into commercial airline pilot, but eventually chose to submit his candidacy to become the first Chinese combat drone pilots.

That year, the Chinese Air Force created its first combat drone brigade, and 20 fighter pilots were selected to join this newly founded entity in South East China.

"I was one of the first volunteers to choose this route," says LI, now an instructor of drone pilots, "but only a few of the time were still in service today ..."

The year 2011 was marked by a series of intensive theoretical training which took place at 3 different locations, for the 20 pilot students of Wing Loong. They had to travel between two Chinese air force universities in northern China, and their southern-based operational entity.

"Wing Loong was not yet delivered, there were many questions that had remained theoretical and experimental for us," confesses LI. There were disagreements between the trainers and the students, including the flight control parameters.






After the theoretical trainings come the training on simulator. On May 20, 2012, LI Hao became the first pilot of the Chinese army to take off, in truth, the drone Wing Loong whose code code of the mission is of "72", followed by the other pilots of the same promotion .

Since then, things have been accelerating. Wing Loong drones participated for the first time in Red Flag 2012, the equivalent of Red Flag maneuvers in the West, where they conducted reconnaissance missions in real time. This is the first time a combat drone has been integrated into the overall Chinese Air Force system.

In 2014, LI and three other pilots performed their first Air-Sol strikes in Xinjiang Province, their new home base. It is here that each one fired two missiles from their drone, and this signals the end of their basic training as a drone pilot.

On the strength of this success, their Wing Loong participated in a military exercise trans-armed in the same year, and Air-Sol weapons were used. They then linked to the joint Sino-Russian exercise "Mission of Peace 2014", where the LI-powered drone struck and destroyed an OPFOR command vehicle.


Air brigade general LI Hao, pilot and instructor of the drone Wing Loong.

(article continued in next post due to 8 picture limit)
Good posts friend, keep them keeping. By the way, if you could post in thr Type 55 DDG thread too, especially about the sensors.
 

airtel

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To me it seems Chinese have done a good job in hacking U.S. military contractors computers and stealing the designs and minute details for large number of different weapon systems. They don't need to worry about IPRs and licenses. Stealing is the best policy.
I don't think it is possible to hack high level American technology.

They can copy design and external looks which is available on internet ..... But most important parts are sensors, cameras, radars and electronics.
Americans are far superior in those areas.

India is not far behind China , within 3-4 years they will be able to make such kind of UAVs.
 

airtel

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You can hit it with the 30 or 40mm anti aircraft gun.
Or with a man portable missile like stinger or igla.
Or 21st century weapon "LASER"
This maximum service ceiling is without payloads like camera, sensors and weapons.
With payloads service ceiling would be lesser.


American weapons, cameras, radars and other sensors are smaller and lighter than China and India which is why they can store more fuel and their UCAv can achieve better service ceilings and endurance.
 

SanjeevM

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I don't think it is possible to hack high level American technology.

They can copy design and external looks which is available on internet ..... But most important parts are sensors, cameras, radars and electronics.
Americans are far superior in those areas.

India is not far behind China , within 3-4 years they will be able to make such kind of UAVs.
It was in news several years back. Here is one recent news searching on Google.
http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/45597/intelligence/china-hacked-us-defense-contractors.html
Chinese hacker admitted hacking US Defense contractors
The man, Su Bin (also known as Stephen Su and Stephen Subin), 50, had been charged in a 2014 indictment with hacking into the computer networks of US defense contractors, including the Boing. The hackers aimed to steal blueprints and intellectual property for the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and C-17 transport aircraft. In January 2015, Edward Snowden revealed China stole designs for the US-built F-35 Fighter jet hacking computer systems at US Defense contractors, and provides details also a counter-intelligence operation run by the NSA.
 

airtel

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It was in news several years back. Here is one recent news searching on Google.
http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/45597/intelligence/china-hacked-us-defense-contractors.html
Chinese hacker admitted hacking US Defense contractors
The man, Su Bin (also known as Stephen Su and Stephen Subin), 50, had been charged in a 2014 indictment with hacking into the computer networks of US defense contractors, including the Boing. The hackers aimed to steal blueprints and intellectual property for the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and C-17 transport aircraft. In January 2015, Edward Snowden revealed China stole designs for the US-built F-35 Fighter jet hacking computer systems at US Defense contractors, and provides details also a counter-intelligence operation run by the NSA.

These are just allegations without proper proof.

They can copy blueprints and designs but can they hack all the avionics, engine, radar, ew suite and other electronics ? And then produce them in China ? No that is extremely difficult.

With hacking they can get an idea about the capabilities and shortcomings of F35 but copying and producing all that advanced technologies are very difficult.

J 20 is a good looking aircraft......but is it a real 5th generation fighter with advanced technology ? There is no proof of that claim.l
 
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