China, a growing military UAV exporter, is strengthening its dominance in Egypt as the latter starts expanding its unmanned combat aerial vehicle fleet.
Cairo recently signed a contract with the Chinese aircraft manufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for the supply of 32 new improved reconnaissance-strike version of Wing Loong Medium-Altitude Long- Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Egypt already operates an undisclosed number of Wing Long UAVs acquired from China in 2016, and had revealed imagery of one of its Wing Loong armed UAVs in a video to mark the 45th anniversary of the Egyptian Air Force in October.
A single UAV was seen taking off with a missile under each wing and later seen destroying a target on the ground. Egypt is known to have operated Wing Loongs for some time, but only recently has this been officially acknowledged.
According to sources, Cairo will be getting the Wing Loong ID, the improved model of the Wing Loong I UAS. The new member of the Wing Loong UAV family was on display at the recently concluded Airshow China in Zhuhai.
The Wing Loong ID is devel-oped by Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute (CADI), a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) in south- west China’s Sichuan Province. The UAV has conducted its maiden flight this year and is expected to enter the market soon.
“The Wing Loong ID is the first generation of improved reconnaissance-strike UAS in China. With other members of the family, it will help enhance the influence of Wing Loong brand in the global military trade market,” said Li Yidong, chief designer of the Wing Loong series and vice chief designer of CADI.
It is a high-performance, medium-altitude and long-endurance reconnaissance-strike UAS, completely made of composites and newly designed to meet the requirements of market.
It has the optimization of aerodynamic layout and installation of high-power engine. It is enhanced in take-off weight, ceiling, endurance, communication, internal carriage and external stores, according to Li.
The Wing Loong I-D seems to be powered by a piston engine to reach a maximum speed of 280 km/h and a service ceiling of 7,500 m (24,600 ft). It also has an operating endurance of 35 hours. The Wing Loong ID can play an import- ant role in security, such as intelligence acquisition, surveillance, reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, border patrol, the fight against drug trafficking, and smuggling.
The Wing Loong I-D can be armed, it has two hardpoints under the wings, able to carry air-to-surface anti-tank missile, guided rocket, small bombs, bomb for drones, and precision-guided munitions. Moreover, it is capable in the civilian domain, such as territorial resources surveys, pipeline inspections, as well as disaster monitoring and evaluation. The forward section of the fuselage is fitted with an electro-optical payload pod that can integrated day/night vision, infrared cameras and sensors to collect surveillance and targeting data in both day and low-light / night conditions. China started the Wing Long UAS development in 2005. To date, it already has two generations, the Wing Long I and Wing Long II series, respectively.
The Wing Long I conducted its maiden flight in 2007. And Wing Loong II successfully completed its maiden flight on Feb. 27, 2017. The Wing Loong II has earned the largest order for Chinese UAV in the global foreign military trade. China, a growing military UAV exporter, has found a market for their products among countries in Middle East and Africa, which, for political reasons, would prefer not to buy from Israel, and don’t meet the United States’ tight requirements for export.
The country is not restrained by the voluntary MTCR pact, thus giving its UAV manufacturers a distinct advantage over the U.S. and other countries bound by the pact. While the global military drone market has been dominated by the US.
American-made models like the MQ-1 Predator, the MQ-9 Reaper, and the RQ-4 Global Hawk, China poses a threat to America’s dominance. The ability of Chinese companies to make low cost products that are, at the very least, just as good if not better than the competition, makes it a major player in the market. Other well-known and used Chinese drones are the CH-3, CH-4, CH-5. The CH-3 and CH-4 cost around US$4 million versus the Predator and Reaper that can cost US$4 million and US$20 million respectively.
The Wing Loong, termed as Chinese counterpart to the Predator, is priced at just US$1 million. China’s deadliest drone in service, the CH-5, also costs less than half the price of a Predator. China’s future drone projects appear to be even more competitive. The Cloud Shadow can carry up to 400kg of munitions on four or six hardpoints.
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