Chinese UAV/UCAV development

ACuriousPLAFan · Jan 24, 2023

AF-1 said:
Great asset, maybe thats why development of Y-9 successor has been slowed down, or eventually get cancelled.

I don't think the successor to the Y-9, i.e. Y-30 has been cancelled, although there have been no updates on the project itself for quite some time. Recall that the Y-9 had just been introduced into PLAAF service in 2012, barely more than a decade ago. For comparison, the newest C-130 family, the C-130J Super Hercules entered service with the USAF in 1999.

That means the Y-9 is still relatively new compared to her American counterpart. There simply isn't enough of an urgency to justify a replacement for the Y-9 for the time being, hence the development project for the Y-30 has most likely been slowed down.

AF-1 said:
Future of tactical transport goes to drones first... Then medium and heavy transport will follow in further future...

Agree on this one, but it also depends on the present situation on the battlefield. Though, I am seeing transport drones as more useful for paradropping supplies, weapon and equipment on or behind enemy lines in airspaces that are deemed too dangerous for manned airlifters to fly through.

by78 · Jan 24, 2023

Another low altitude drone jammer for guarding important installations. Detection range is ≥3km for targets with RCS of 0.01m2. Total system power = 1500W.

tankphobia · Jan 24, 2023

by78 said:
Another low altitude drone jammer for guarding important installations. Detection range is ≥3km for targets with RCS of 0.01m2. Total system power = 1500W.

Is a soft kill solution really that much better than hardkill? Within 3 km if a suicide UAV was forced to land it might still hit something critical on the way down, although if it's diversion instead of landing it would still work quite nicely.

lcloo · Jan 24, 2023

tankphobia said:
Is a soft kill solution really that much better than hardkill? Within 3 km if a suicide UAV was forced to land it might still hit something critical on the way down, although if it's diversion instead of landing it would still work quite nicely.

This system is designed mainly against small DJI type consumer drones according to the first sentence in the image. I doubt any military will buy them, the targeted customers would be civilian enforcement agencies and thus hard kill option is off.

A.Man · Jan 25, 2023

A New Year Post of Chengfei

wairoa · Jan 25, 2023

Hi everyone the Wing Loong 2 is one of my favourite drones flying at the moment. Does anybody know what the items I have highlited are for? In the red circle is that a camera like on the American Predator or something else. Anyway thanks for your time.

Chengdu Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicle i.d parts.jpg

Schwerter_ · Jan 25, 2023

wairoa said:
Hi everyone the Wing Loong 2 is one of my favourite drones flying at the moment. Does anybody know what the items I have highlited are for? In the red circle is that a camera like on the American Predator or something else. Anyway thanks for your time.
View attachment 105868

Just personal guesses at this point so feel free to correct me.

the red circle should be some kind of electro-optical sensor turret which is quite common among drones at this point. It should be able to provide TV and IR video feed, have good resolution and zoom levels, and possibly ground stabilization, target lock and laser indicator functions to enable use of laser-guided munitions as well.
Green one I ‘m not sure, but I remember there being a civilian version of Wing Loong II where a signal emitter pod (maybe wrong word choice here, it’s used to provide phone and internet signals in emergency conditions over an area) is mounted on the centerline. This pod looks vaguely similar to that in shape, so maybe a military version of signal relay pod? Alternatively it can be a ground-scanning radar for reconnaissance missions.

the yellow one is anybody’s guess, I have no idea what it is other than it’s most likely some sort of antenna to communicate to ground facilities (based on its position on the underside). The closest in shape that I can think of is actually the flir camera mounted on the A-10, but again that is a flir camera used for night navigation, which the Wing Loong 2 does not need, so I guess the similarity is only in their shape and mounting position.

wairoa · Jan 25, 2023

Schwerter_ said:
Just personal guesses at this point so feel free to correct me.

the red circle should be some kind of electro-optical sensor turret which is quite common among drones at this point. It should be able to provide TV and IR video feed, have good resolution and zoom levels, and possibly ground stabilization, target lock and laser indicator functions to enable use of laser-guided munitions as well.
Green one I ‘m not sure, but I remember there being a civilian version of Wing Loong II where a signal emitter pod (maybe wrong word choice here, it’s used to provide phone and internet signals in emergency conditions over an area) is mounted on the centerline. This pod looks vaguely similar to that in shape, so maybe a military version of signal relay pod? Alternatively it can be a ground-scanning radar for reconnaissance missions.
View attachment 105873

the yellow one is anybody’s guess, I have no idea what it is other than it’s most likely some sort of antenna to communicate to ground facilities (based on its position on the underside). The closest in shape that I can think of is actually the flir camera mounted on the A-10, but again that is a flir camera used for night navigation, which the Wing Loong 2 does not need, so I guess the similarity is only in their shape and mounting position.
View attachment 105874

Thanks for the response. Your points certainly make sense to me.

Chavez · Jan 26, 2023

Schwerter_ said:
Just personal guesses at this point so feel free to correct me.

the red circle should be some kind of electro-optical sensor turret which is quite common among drones at this point. It should be able to provide TV and IR video feed, have good resolution and zoom levels, and possibly ground stabilization, target lock and laser indicator functions to enable use of laser-guided munitions as well.
Green one I ‘m not sure, but I remember there being a civilian version of Wing Loong II where a signal emitter pod (maybe wrong word choice here, it’s used to provide phone and internet signals in emergency conditions over an area) is mounted on the centerline. This pod looks vaguely similar to that in shape, so maybe a military version of signal relay pod? Alternatively it can be a ground-scanning radar for reconnaissance missions.
View attachment 105873

the yellow one is anybody’s guess, I have no idea what it is other than it’s most likely some sort of antenna to communicate to ground facilities (based on its position on the underside). The closest in shape that I can think of is actually the flir camera mounted on the A-10, but again that is a flir camera used for night navigation, which the Wing Loong 2 does not need, so I guess the similarity is only in their shape and mounting position.
View attachment 105874

It look like laser receiver.this allow the uav to pick up signal from laser designator either from ground or air,this allow uav to home in and find ,engage the target.A10 aircraft also carry similiar device.

by78 · Jan 28, 2023

A brochure marketing various UCAVs. Of interest is the TH-B30 stealth UCAV. Not sure about the status of the project or if it's merely a concept on the drawing board. TH-B30 is a high-subsonic, highly maneuverable UCAV. It's capable of carrying flexible payloads and capable of "formation flying". It's intended for training purposes and for weapons development/verification.

Length: 4.1m
Wingspan: 1.6m
Max. G: ≥9g
Max speed: ≥270m/s
Max payload: ≥30kg
RCS: ≤0.01m2
Min and max altitude: 50m to 12000m

Chinese UAV/UCAV development

ACuriousPLAFan

Brigadier

by78

General

tankphobia

Senior Member

lcloo

Captain

A.Man

Major

wairoa

Just Hatched

Schwerter_

Junior Member

wairoa

Just Hatched

Chavez

Junior Member

by78

General