Flight Global, an aviation website, reported on Tuesday that a Chinese company may have conducted the maiden flight of a new jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle capable of attack and surveillance missions.
Flight Global reported, "Images posted on Chinese social media show a group of people at an undisclosed air base holding a banner celebrating the first flight of the high-altitude, long-endurance UAV, although imagery of an airborne WJ-700 has yet to appear”.
The WJ-700 is classified as a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV. The WJ-700 was first unveiled at China's main airshow at Zhuhai in November 2018.
Janes, a renowned defence publication, had reported, "Specifications released by CASIC in 2018 stated that the turbojet-powered WJ-700 has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,500 kg and a stated endurance of up to 20 hours.”
Media reports claimed the WJ-700 has two 'hard points' under its wings to enable carriage of various missiles to hit ground and sea targets.
As it uses a jet engine, the WJ-700 is expected to be more efficient at operating at higher altitudes, which would give the UAV greater speed and also provide larger ‘field of view’ for its onboard sensors to cover and gather information from.
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Over the last decade, China has invested considerably in development and export of UAVs. Chinese companies have developed a variety of UAVs meant for military roles as varied as attack missions, surveillance and even cargo transport, while US allies such as Saudi Arabia and UAE have purchased these aircraft from Beijing.
