Chinese UAV/UCAV development

Saudi Arabia has now been confirmed as the customer that has ordered from China a large quantity of the Wing Loong II UCAV that

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

. 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 theAR-1/HJ-10, capable of hitting armored targets at 10 km with its 10 kg warhead.

The Saudis also already operate Wing Loong IUAVs, 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 theG7countries 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 aMQ-9 Reaper. She added that the success of theCH-4 laid a good foundation for CASC’s newCH-5.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

SteelBird said:

Saudi Arabia Buying and Building Chinese Armed Drones

Click to expand...

PiSigma said:

One part of article says Saudi produced drones can be sold to Qatar.... By dropping it on them? Lol

But overall decent article.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

...


the pictures of

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

and its ordnance at Paris Air Show (source:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

)

Click to expand...

China’s UAVs are selling well in Asia and the Middle East

It was not the most dynamic of exhibits on display at this year’s Paris Air Show, but the unexpected appearance of a Chinese-built armed UAV in the static display is perhaps a reminder that China’s unmanned systems are beginning to grab a significant chunk of the international export market.

A full-scale mock-up of the Wing Loong II below, the latest UAV design to emerge from the Chengdu Aircraft Industry division of Avic, surrounded by a large number of indigenously developed weapons, attracted significant attention at Paris.

Regular air show visitors are now familiar with the lineup of scale models of these platforms in booths, but the display of a full-scale model at a major Western trade show clearly demonstrates China’s growing confidence in its unmanned capabilities.

The model was on display at an aerospace fair in Mexico in April.

The Wing Loong II, which flew for the first time in February, clearly bears more than a passing resemblance to the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

/Predator B platform and was developed from the Wing Loong I that first flew in 2009, which was clearly a clone of the

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Predator.

Weighing in at 4,200 kg (9.260 lb.), the Wing Loong II is able to carry a maximum payload of around 480 kg, Avic says.

At Le Bourget, the aircraft was displayed with a number of Chinese-indigenous weapons, including the YJ-9E anti-ship missile, the Blue Arrow 7, TL-2 and AG-300 air-to-ground missiles and the LS-9 small-diameter bomb.

A reluctance to sell advanced unmanned air systems by previous U.S. administrations to some of its closest allies in the Middle East has proved to be a blessing for Chinese industry, which has sold its systems in bulk there as well as to a number of former Soviet republics.

Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have bought the China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp. (CASC) CH-4 system; Iraq has used the platforms against the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, while Saudi Arabia has been using them against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In March, it was announced that CASC might open a factory to build as many as 300 CH-4 systems for the Saudi armed forces over the coming years.

Click to expand...