Article

2018-01-13 India-Pakistan

China Appears to Have Secretly Sold Pakistan a Large Combat Drone, Says Report

[National Interest] China appears to have secretly sold Pakistan a large combat drone, according to new satellite images.

This was first pointed out by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College. Citing satellite images from November 2017, the Center reported on January 5th that there was a medium-altitude long-endurance drone spotted at the Alam Air Base in Mianwali, Pakistan. "The drone in the image appears to be a Wing Loong I. This assessment is based on its wingspan‐which we believe to be around 14 meters‐ and its V-tail, as well as a comparison with other satellite images of the Wing Loong I elsewhere in the world," the Center noted in its report. The report was later confirmed by IHS Jane’s, which cited different satellite images taken from the same time.

The Wing Loong I is a strike-capable medium-altitude long-endurance drone built by the Chinese firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It has a length of nine meters and a wingspan of fourteen meters. It can fly at heights of nearly 25,000 feet with a maximum speed of around 280 km/h and a range of 5,000 kilometers. According to IHS Jane's, it has a maximum take-off weight of 1,150 kilograms with a maximum payload capacity of 200 kg. The payload is split fifty-fifty between internal and external weapon stores. It is considered to be China’s version of America’s Predator drone.

Posted by Besoeker 2018-01-13 15:55|| || Front Page|| [11139 views ] Top
File under: Commies

#1 I can just see it being used on an accidental hit on a US SOF unit in the border region of Afghanistan...with the claim that they had strayed in to Pak territory and they mistakenly thought they were ISIS.

Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom 2018-01-13 21:01|| 2018-01-13 21:01|| Front Page Top

#2 Oooohhh.... nice. New target.

Posted by DarthVader 2018-01-13 21:37|| 2018-01-13 21:37|| Front Page Top

#3 My first thought was that it was for Maritime surveillance to match what the Indian Navy is contemplating. The airfield is smack dab in the center of Pakistan so... New wonder widget for ISI?

Posted by magpie 2018-01-13 23:04|| 2018-01-13 23:04|| Front Page Top

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