Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation, a subsidiary of AVIC, has unveiled the WZ-7 Soaring Dragon unmanned aerial vehicle. It is the Chinese analogue of the American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone.

What is known

The WZ-7 Soaring Dragon is a drone for the Navy of the People’s Liberation Army of China. In many ways, it resembles the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone developed by Northrop Grumman. By the way, the US Navy version of the Global Hawk is called the MQ-4C Triton.

Soaring Dragon cannot carry weapons, but is intended only for observation, reconnaissance and reconnaissance. Antennas can be integrated into the wings of the drone to intercept radar signals from warships.

The length of the WZ-7 Soaring Dragon is 14.3 meters, and the wingspan is 25 meters. The drone can carry a payload of 650 kg with a maximum takeoff weight of 7.5 tons. The power reserve is 7000 km. The WZ-7 has a cruising speed of 750 km/h and is capable of climbing over 18 km.

Note that Soaring Dragon is already was seen previously. In early 2023, a drone flew for the first time near the Japanese islands of Miyakojima and Okinawa.

Source: Naval News