The 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which was delayed for one year, finally kicked off on September 28. Due to the impact of the COVID-19, the number of foreign defense enterprises participating in the air show has declined significantly, but the highlights of the air show have not decreased - a large number of new domestic high-tech defense equipment have come onto the stage - completely independent domestic products have played a major role in various fields.

In the second decade of the 21st century, various types of drones have emerged on battlefields around the world, shaping a new form of high-tech local warfare. As a major supplier of drones in the international market, although China is a newcomer in this field, its related products have already shone brightly in practical use.

The WJ-700 model exhibited in 2018

At this year's Zhuhai Airshow, there was a "pillar" that was not a "newcomer" but was spiritually uplifting - the WJ-700 "Falcon" high-altitude, high-speed, and long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Third Academy Haiying Aviation General Equipment Co., Ltd.

The WJ-700 real machine exhibited in 2021

It is said to be an "old face" because the model of WJ-700 "Falcon" was already unveiled at the 12th Zhuhai Airshow in 2018. It is exciting to say that just three years later, the model has become a real thing - on January 11, 2021, the WJ-700 "Falcon" successfully completed its maiden flight test - which happens to be the 10th anniversary of the J-20's maiden flight. This speed is truly miraculous!

WJ-700 "Falcon" unmanned aerial vehicle conducting maiden flight testing in the field

It should be noted that only the United States, Russia, and China are currently available in the international military trade market for high-performance large-scale reconnaissance and attack integrated drones. The MALE RPAS "long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle" project, jointly developed by multiple countries and highly accomplished in the aviation field, has been launched since 2016. Although the prototype was unveiled at the Berlin Airshow on April 28, 2018, the expected maiden flight is already in 2023.

The WJ-700 "Falcon" adopts a large number of advanced technologies and is currently one of the few high-altitude, high-speed, and long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles in the world and the only one in China. It has advantages such as high altitude, high speed, long endurance, and large payload, and can perform tasks such as precise terrain measurement, battlefield reconnaissance and target monitoring, ground and anti-ship attacks, and anti radiation suppression. It has become a high-tech weapon at the strategic campaign level.

According to the information released at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, the WJ-700 "Falcon" is equipped with a high thrust turbofan engine, with a maximum takeoff weight of 3.5 tons and a range of 20 hours. The aircraft is equipped with a conformal radar array and multiple optical sensing windows, and has 6 external points. According to the mounting plan on the model exhibited in 2018, the aircraft can carry two C-701 light anti-ship missiles, two C-705 anti-ship missiles, and two CM-102 supersonic anti radiation missiles, also developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, with an effective payload of no less than 1.5 tons.

The WJ-700 unmanned aerial vehicle exhibited in real form at the Zhuhai Air Show

Compared with similar products abroad, the WJ-700 "Falcon" has certain advantages in comprehensive performance. For example, the MQ-9 Reaper "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicle from the United States has a length of 10.97 meters, a wingspan of 20 meters, powered by turboprop engines, a maximum flight speed of 460 kilometers per hour, a range of 15 hours, a flight altitude (full load) of 9000 meters, and an external payload of 1.36 tons.

By comparison, the WJ-700 "Falcon" has significant advantages in cruising speed, endurance time, and cruising altitude. Its flight altitude surpasses the shooting height of Western standard medium and short-range field air defense systems, and it has stronger survivability in high threat environments.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) is a professional manufacturer of aerial missiles and ballistic missiles. It not only focuses on high-altitude and high-speed unmanned aerial vehicles, but also has a wide range of onboard ammunition. For example, the WJ-700 "Falcon" can carry CM-102 anti radiation missiles with a range of up to 100 kilometers and C-705 anti-ship missiles with a range of 170 kilometers, which has stronger defense capabilities than the AGM-114 "Hellfire" air to ground missile and JDAM "Joint Direct Attack Munition" navigation missile matched with the US MQ-9 Reaper "Reaper".

Türkiye Anka-S large surveillance and strike integrated UAV

The system composition of a large-scale integrated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may seem simple, but the technical difficulty of integration should not be underestimated. In the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh region from July to October 2020, the TB-2 small attack UAV and Anka-S Chada UAV made by Türkiye took the lead. Among them, Anka-S is a large unmanned aerial vehicle that resembles the American MQ-9 "Reaper". However, upon closer inspection of Anka-S's various parameters - a total length of 8.6 meters, wingspan of 17.5 meters, height of 3.25 meters, maximum speed of 217 kilometers per hour, cruising speed of 204 kilometers per hour, range of 26 hours, practical ceiling of 9000 meters, and payload capacity of 250 kilograms - the overall performance is significantly inferior to that of American products.

Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation's "Sky Eagle" stealth reconnaissance drone

The main business of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation is actually in the fields of aerial missiles, ballistic missiles, and long-range rocket launchers. The long-range weapon systems such as CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missile, CM-401 anti-ship ballistic missile, A-100/200/300 long-range rocket launcher, SY-400 long-range rocket launcher, which have appeared multiple times at the Zhuhai Airshow, have long become legendary stories in the military fan circle. There are even jokes such as "ballistic missiles that cannot anti-ship are not qualified ballistic missiles" and "rocket launchers that cannot anti-ship are not qualified rocket launchers".

Indeed, this type of weapon system is a highly efficient asymmetric tactical approach that emphasizes the importance of small gains over large gains and the importance of the weak defeating the strong. However, without strong reconnaissance capabilities to provide precise target information and support, the scene of a meteor shower falling above the enemy's head will not occur. Large endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft are an indispensable part of the entire strike system. The "Sky Eagle" stealth reconnaissance drone developed by Haiying Aviation General Equipment Co., Ltd. of the Third Academy of Aerospace Science and Industry is a testament to its capabilities.

Video footage of the maiden flight of the "Sky Eagle" drone

Skyhawk is also an old face of the Zhuhai Airshow. In fact, as early as February 2018, the official WeChat account of Haiying Aviation General Equipment Co., Ltd. first reported the news of the maiden flight of the "Tianying" series of unmanned aerial vehicles. Although the video has been treated with confidentiality and only a blurry view of a flying wing layout with air intake above the nose, resembling the American RQ-180, it still caused a lot of exclamation.

At the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, the "Sky Eagle" unveiled its true identity. The display board showed that it is a 3-ton unmanned aerial vehicle used for infiltration or close combat tactical reconnaissance of important targets in high threat battlefield environments. It has the characteristics of high stealth, long endurance, large mission radius, and autonomous takeoff and landing capabilities. In terms of size and weight, the "Skyhawk" is designed to compete with the American RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

Compared to various black, thick, and large missiles and rockets, seemingly harmless reconnaissance equipment is often ignored by onlookers at air shows. However, in the new era of high-tech warfare that emphasizes "discover and destroy", the unbeatable long-range non-contact strike weapon system can only be targeted with the assistance of advanced battlefield surveillance systems. The advanced stealth unmanned aerial vehicle system represented by the "Sky Eagle" will be a heavyweight player in the field of electromagnetic spectrum competition.

WJ-600 attack drone resembling a missile

Drones were once exclusive to Western powers and northern rivals, and for a long time, we couldn't even keep up with them. However, after more than 30 years of hard work and perseverance, the field of military drones has blossomed everywhere, thanks to generations of military workers who have worked tirelessly to "do earth shattering things and bury famous people with hidden surnames".

The CH (Rainbow) series of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the WL (Pterodactyl) series, attack series, WZ (Non Reconnaissance) series of China Aviation Industry Corporation, and the WJ series of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation can be described as exquisite and versatile. Even in the high-end stealth drone field, since the debut of "Dark Arrow" at the Zhuhai Air Show in October 2006, models such as "Sword", "Cloud Shadow", SS-1 Star Shadow "Star Shadow", CH-6/7 (Rainbow 6/7), etc. have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, causing netizens to mock themselves in a "Versailles" style. China's drone industry has already been "involuted".

The level of aerospace industry reflects the comprehensive strength of a country and is the foundation of national defense modernization. Today's catch-up in the field of drones is the result of more than 30 years of enduring humiliation and striving to catch up. While we take pride in achieving significant results on the military front, we also need to maintain a clear mind. Imperialism's determination to destroy us will never die. As hegemonism becomes increasingly fierce, we must persistently strive to comprehensively build a world-class military.

Source: Guoke Huanyu