Chinese UAV/UCAV development

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no_name

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And it makes no sense to have propellers and also a large front intake.

Deino said:
Yes, but don't You also think these two exhausts are too small, too narrow .... :confused::confused:
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Too bad we don't have more clear pictures. I had though about them having two separate exhaust leading from a single engine, but that would just make things very complicated, inefficient and don't know if it will address anything.

Also it looks as if the exhausts don't actually lead to anywhere or have an opening, maybe it was a non-flyable mockup in early concept testing stage?
 
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by78

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AssassinsMace

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by78 said:
SoarDragon is a Guizhou project, if I recall correctly. This drone here is a Chengdu project.
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Soaring Dragon was built at CAC from what I read. On the Chinese boards the last few days mentioned that the Soaring Dragon was going to take flight from Chengdu and I was waiting for pictures. These pics popped-up. Why did the post call it Soaring Dragon? I don't know. That's the only reason I'm suggesting this maybe a third version. The forward half looks a little similar to the last known version.
 
tphuang

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AssassinsMace said:
Soaring Dragon was built at CAC from what I read. On the Chinese boards the last few days mentioned that the Soaring Dragon was going to take flight from Chengdu and I was waiting for pictures. These pics popped-up. Why did the post call it Soaring Dragon? I don't know. That's the only reason I'm suggesting this maybe a third version. The forward half looks a little similar to the last known version.
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a lot of these UAVs are Guizhou and CAC collaborations where Guizhou does the design work, but they get built at 611.
 
Deino

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Just again a maybe stupid question that came in to my mind ... even more since Huitong just updated his site:

BZK-009/WZ-9

A WZ-2000 model was on display at the 2004 Zhuahi Airshow. Also known as WZ-9 (K/JWR9?), this reconnaissance stealth UAV has been under development at GAIC since 1999. Its stealth design features a fuselage with a flat bottom surface blended seamlessly with long swept wings to reduce RCS (<1m2 head-on). A single turbofan engine (WS-11) sits on top of the tail section with its intake shielded by the wing section and its exhaust nozzle shielded by twin "V" shaped tailfins to reduce both radar and IR signatures. WZ-9 carries a large satellite communication antenna inside its head bulge for real-time transmission of images and ELINT data back to the ground control station. It also carries FLIR and CCD cameras inside a turret underneath its nose for navigation and photo reconnaissance. A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) could be installed underneath its fuselage as well. WZ-9 looks generally similar to American Global Hawk long-range stealth UAV but has a smaller size and a shorter range. Some specifications: length 7.5m, wingspan 9.8m, max TO weight 1.7t, mission payload 80kg, max level speed 800km/h, ceiling 18,000m, combat radius 800km, endurance 3hr. WZ-9 first flew on December 26, 2003. Its improved version (BZK-009) first flew in 2006. The UAV entered limited service with PLA Department of Chief Staff in 2007 and conducts only strategic reconnaissance missions. Besides GAIC, CAC is also developing a similar but smaller stealth UAV called Sky Wing. A prototype was built by April 2008. High speed taxiing took place in September 2008. The latest images (December 2014) indicated that the UAV now features a redesigned engine compartment with two smaller engine exhausts to reduce IR and radar signatures.
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My idea now is based on these points:

- I do not know any image of this BZK-009/WZ-9 (only these airshow-models)
- we have the original "Sky Wing" from 2008-2010
- and now we have the "Sky Wing II" (as I would call it) ...

All three share the same general layout ... could it be that BZK-009/WZ-9 is in fact the first "Sky Wing" ... and now a refined/improved version is available ??

To admit we know so many and even more so different UAVs in recent years, but not a single image of the real BZK-009/WZ-9 !

What do You think ?

Deino :confused::confused:
 
tphuang

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Deino said:
Just again a maybe stupid question that came in to my mind ... even more since Huitong just updated his site:



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My idea now is based on these points:

- I do not know any image of this BZK-009/WZ-9 (only these airshow-models)
- we have the original "Sky Wing" from 2008-2010
- and now we have the "Sky Wing II" (as I would call it) ...

All three share the same general layout ... could it be that BZK-009/WZ-9 is in fact the first "Sky Wing" ... and now a refined/improved version is available ??

To admit we know so many and even more so different UAVs in recent years, but not a single image of the real BZK-009/WZ-9 !

What do You think ?

Deino :confused::confused:
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I don't think it's possible to ask a stupid question here, since we know so little.

My guess is that the original design didn't get picked up. Maybe they brought in CAC to help and came up with Sky wing. That was probably a technology demonstrator. That probably didn't get picked up, so they went to spend more time working on the GJ-1 project and then the soaring dragon project. Maybe now they are going back to Skywing design because Soaring Dragon is not achieving the specs? It seems unlikely PLAAF will need 2 designs with similar roles from CAC/GAIC. Or maybe PLAN and PLAAF require separate designs.
 
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