Chinese UAV/UCAV development

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taxiya

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service ceiling should be the same as Global Hawk, but range and endurance probably less than half. PAC 3 can't reach more than 15km iirc
Where do all the figures come from? If they are from estimation, how could anyone make an estimation close to reality when there is no images clear and close enough to do a measurement of its size to begin a meaningful guess work? Only if someone can claim that they are acquired through espionage, would the figures be possibly right.

I am not proposing that we should go to futher debate about the figures, but trying to suggest caustion to taking something for granted and build thought based on it. My attitude is "ok, I heard someone said that without anything to back it up, I leave it as an open question."
 
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gelgoog

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That is really doubtful. 10000 kilometer range? With a single MiG-21 engine? I don't think so.
Looking at the wing design it seems optimized for higher speed and altitude. To patrol up to the 2nd island chain not intercontinental.
Perhaps with WS-13 or better engine the range would improve. It has similar thrust and less fuel consumption. I don't know if it would fit though.
 

siegecrossbow

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That is really doubtful. 10000 kilometer range? With a single MiG-21 engine? I don't think so.
Looking at the wing design it seems optimized for higher speed and altitude. To patrol up to the 2nd island chain not intercontinental.
Perhaps with WS-13 or better engine the range would improve. It has similar thrust and less fuel consumption. I don't know if it would fit though.
10,000KM might be the furthest straight line distance it could travel, not combat radius.
 

Blitzo

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That is really doubtful. 10000 kilometer range? With a single MiG-21 engine? I don't think so.
Looking at the wing design it seems optimized for higher speed and altitude. To patrol up to the 2nd island chain not intercontinental.
Perhaps with WS-13 or better engine the range would improve. It has similar thrust and less fuel consumption. I don't know if it would fit though.

The effective range of an aircraft is not merely a function of the engine or the number of engines.

In terms of WZ-7, it is certainly plausible for it to have a 10,000km range (though the specific commentator they quote is speculating rather than citing officially disclosed figures).
After all, recall that a range and combat radius with time on station is different.
 

Hendrik_2000

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That is really doubtful. 10000 kilometer range? With a single MiG-21 engine? I don't think so.
Looking at the wing design it seems optimized for higher speed and altitude. To patrol up to the 2nd island chain not intercontinental.
Perhaps with WS-13 or better engine the range would improve. It has similar thrust and less fuel consumption. I don't know if it would fit though.
I am no aero dynamist but I think they have high aspect wing To sustain lift they split up 2 high aspect wing It is indigenous design. High aspect wing reduce drag. The video clearly explain this aspect of design

China showed off it's best military drones at 13th airshow: CH-6, WZ-7, WZ-8, GJ-11 and LJ-I (LJ-1)​

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High aspect ratio wings​

Stability: Long narrow wings give a plane or bird more stability. (It’s a bit like a tightrope walker who holds a long pole across their body as they walk along the rope – the extra ‘arm’ lengths help to balance the body by adding more mass to either side of it.) The trade-off is that this type of plane won’t be very manoeuvrable.

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Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Balancing
Tightrope walkers hold a long pole across their body as they walk along the rope to help balance their body by adding more mass on either side.
Less induced drag Long, narrow wings also have less induced drag than shorter wider wings. Induced drag is created at the tips of the wings where the high pressure air from beneath the wing comes up over the wing tips into the low pressure zone. This meeting place of different air pressures becomes a turbulent area creating induced drag. Long narrow wings have less end edges (tips) and more stable wing area than shorter wider wings so they have less drag.

Less fuel consumption: Having less induced drag means there is less fuel consumption for planes and birds (fat consumption) so they can keep their speed for a longer time than short wide-winged fliers.


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High aspect ratio wings have less induced drag

Long narrow wings have less end edges (where turbulence occurs) and more stable wing area than shorter wider wings so they have less drag.
 
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by78

General
Here's a WZ-7 video + some high-resolution images as well as screen captures.


51672588591_7f8cad3ab0_k.jpg

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51673157264_b304c682ac_k.jpg

51672479841_7ae97f6ec2_h.jpg

51673157159_872c989505_h.jpg
 

taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
That is really doubtful. 10000 kilometer range? With a single MiG-21 engine? I don't think so.
Looking at the wing design it seems optimized for higher speed and altitude. To patrol up to the 2nd island chain not intercontinental.
Perhaps with WS-13 or better engine the range would improve. It has similar thrust and less fuel consumption. I don't know if it would fit though.
In Chinese it is called 连翼(联翼), it is kind of box wing but the upper and lower wings are arranged with angles. The purpose is to have equivlant long and narrow wings for high endurance like Global hawk but without the high demand of material riggedness of very long single level wings. The reduced demand of riggedness also reduces weight, therefor increases range. The wing swepts are beneficial for higher speed as well, but it is not the sole purpose of the design. One can say the aircraft is optimized for range, speed and altitude.
 
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